Until his first start of the season in the second leg MTN8 semi-final match against Stellenbosch FC on the weekend, Themba Zwane has had questions about what his role in the team could be this season under coach Manqoba Mngqithi.
Prior to Sunday's clash at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, Zwane had started on the bench in both matches against Polokwane City in the quarter-finals and Stellenbosch in the semi-final first leg as the Brazilians appeared to be trying different combinations in these early stages of the season under the experienced mentor.
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Another Sundowns star and fan favourite who has had questions asked after he started on the bench in Durban is Peter Shalulile, while the likes of Lebohang Maboe and Sphelele Mkhulise have also not enjoyed regular game time so far.
Speaking at the 2024/25 Betway Premiership season launch at the Galleria conference and events venue, in Sandton, north of Johannesburg on Tuesday, Mngqithi touched on the huge expectations faced by the defending champions.
"Going into the expectations of the season, I think it is true, everybody always expects more from Sundowns. Obviously, there are question marks about the style of play and all that, which is normal but I do believe over the past three matches that we have played there are a lot of positives in what will win us a lot of matches because what I always wanted to try and achieve was to create an environment where we created a lot of scoring opportunities," he said.
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About the exclusion of Downs' regulars in some matches, Mngqithi attributed it to the hectic schedule for the team.
"Obviously, we are expected to win a lot of matches in the PSL because of so many other reasons but the truth of the matter is that our preparation is going to be a little bit difficult this year because we are competing in seven competitions. When the season finishes, it will probably be the beginning of another big competition that will be coming. And there are a lot of questions marks about some players not playing regularly and all that, but the truth is it's very important for us to periodise our players in terms of the number of games they are playing and a whole lot of other things that we look at as the metrics that are very important to us," the coach said.
