A former Esteghlal FC star has spoken on Pitso Mosimane's arrival at the club, declaring that the team cannot afford any more mistakes.
It was confirmed last week that the South African tactician would be moving to Iran to become the club's newest manager, taking over from former permanent boss Javad Nekounam, who departed the club at the beginning of the month.
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The former Mamelodi Sundowns coach's appointment comes after the Crown's unroyal-like beginning to the season, which saw them pick up just two wins from seven Persian Gulf Pro League encounters.
As a result, the Tehran-based outfit is currently 11th on the table, having accumulated just eight points.
Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh had stepped in as caretaker manager, but he has now made way for Mosimane.
The South African was not present in the dugout as Esteghlal suffered a 1-0 defeat to Al Nassr in an AFC Champions League clash on Tuesday night, when an 81st minute goal by Aymeric Laporte proved the difference between the two sides.
The result put a spotlight on the Iranian club's poor continental form, with the team having picked up just one victory in three of their Group B fixtures thus far.
Behtash Fariba, a former player of the club, has opened up on the current situation around the team, and shared his thoughts on the former Al Ahly coach taking the reins.
"I think Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh did well when he came," he told Sports News, per Khabarvarzeshi.
"He took responsibility in difficult circumstances when Esteghlal was struggling.
"Conflicts between coaches, fan challenges, and player uncertainty had troubled the team.
"Players were working under a different coach's thoughts, but Sohrab changed that with his unique approach.
"Now, it's unclear if Mosimane can sit on the bench [for their next match].
"Players worked with Nekounam's thoughts for a year and a half, then three games with Bakhtiarizadeh's, and now Mosimane will train the team.
"Time is needed for the new coach's thoughts to settle.
"The holding company brought this coach and will support him. We should move forward and see what happens.
"Mosimane has a resume and Asian experience, but time will tell if he can transform Esteghlal's situation.
"Fans don't expect Mosimane to implement his tactics immediately, but he should focus on results since the team has fallen behind and can't afford mistakes.
"With these players, I think tactical conditions will improve, and we can reduce the gap."
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By Junaid Benjamin
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