Sundowns coach Mokwena bullish over hard season

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rhulani Mokwena spoke with a bullish tone when he summed up the club’s final stage of preseason in the Netherlands.

“We came here with a clear mandate to try to win [the] preseason [matches],” Mokwena said after their undefeated run in Europe.

The 13-time Premier Soccer League (PSL) winners wrapped up their camp with a 2-1 win over NAC Breda on Friday.

That victory came after wins against Eredivisie teams — a 4-1 thumping of Sparta Rotterdam preceded by a 1-0 win over Go Ahead Eagles. Before that Sundowns drew 2-2 with Belgian Jupiler Pro League outfit Gent.

“We have worked on quite a few things from the schemes we want to see both in and out of possession and our rest defence scheme because we have changed the structure,” Mokwena said.

“We have worked very hard on our set pieces and the coaches have been really good. Coach Michael [Loftman], coach Wendell [Robinson] and coach Manqoba [Mngqithi] have been working hard in that space.”

The Brazilians left a cold SA for a hot Europe for a test in which the club was looking at not only integrating new players into the squad, but also exposing their players to a different playing style before the new season.

Sundowns open their campaign with a trip to Polokwane’s Peter Mokaba Stadium to meet Sekhukhune United in the PSL on Friday. The Tshwane giants will also juggle continental football as they search for a second Caf Champions League crown. They have been widely tipped to be one of eight teams that will feature in the inaugural African Football League to kick off in October.

With the PSL having added the Carling Knockout Cup as a third cup competition in 2023-24, Downs will enter a staggering six competitions.

It will be a defining season for Mokwena as he looks to stamp his imprint on the club, having taken over as the outright coach midway through last season. Since becoming the sole coach, the technical team appointments the club has made have been in line with Mokwena’s vision.

Mokwena spoke at length about their clash with Go Ahead Eagles, saying it was a “difficult game” that was the preparation they needed before their quest starts to win their sixth consecutive league title.

“[They are a] very robust, very physical and direct team that made us suffer a lot on the pitch,” Mokwena said.

“We didn’t have as much possession and didn’t dominate as much of the pitch [as we would have liked], but we responded the way we anticipated the games to go this season.

“There are games that are going to be difficult and there are games that are going to demand that we adopt certain elements, particularly from a defensive perspective where we suffered a bit more.”