Esteghlal head coach Pitso Mosimane has spoken candidly about his past duels with Patrice Carteron ahead of their upcoming Iranian Pro League match on Thursday.
The rivalry between the two coaches dates back to 2014, when Carteron's TP Mazembe defeated Mosimane's Mamelodi Sundowns 3-1 in the CAF Champions League. That match marked the beginning of a competitive relationship between the two highly regarded tacticians.
Since then, Mosimane and Carteron have faced off multiple times, including in Egypt, where they clashed on three occasions. Mosimane has come out on top in two of those encounters, which has led to a sense of personal satisfaction. However, the Esteghlal coach made it clear that it's not about him versus Carteron but rather the teams on the pitch.
"He's a good coach. I think the first time I played against him was with Mazembe in 2014 and my team lost the match. But all the times (after that) I've played against him, I've never lost – I've always won. But it's not about me and him. We are professionals, we don't personalise these things. We have big respect for each other, so we don't talk about who won this and who didn't win that. It's the teams that play, we don't play," Mosimane told the media.
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The pair's rivalry took a more personal turn in 2020, when Mosimane replaced Carteron as the head coach of Al Ahly.
Mosimane went on to achieve significant success with the Egyptian club, winning two CAF Champions League trophies during his tenure. Despite this, Mosimane remains focused on the teams' performances rather than their personal history.
Looking ahead to Thursday's match, Mosimane acknowledged that Carteron's Sepahan side, in good form and sitting in a strong position in first place, would be favourites for the encounter. He cautioned that football doesn't always follow form, citing the example of Manchester City, who, despite their pedigree, are currently not performing at their best.
"He's got a good team, he might win. And at the moment, he's expected to win because of the position and the form that he has. Football doesn't work like that always where you are on top of the log and you need to win, otherwise Manchester City would not be where they are – that's the reality of football," Mosimane said.
Despite Esteghlal's current struggles, Mosimane remains resolute, acknowledging the challenges his team faces.
"At the moment, we need to accept the reality of where Esteghlal is. It's not really easy for supporters to accept where the team is at the moment. I have a very unstable team," he admitted.
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