With Mamelodi Sundowns back in the CAF Champions League where they continue to raise the flag for Mzansi, the club has been lauded for raising the bar and encouraged to do more.
Under trying conditions where they have had to juggle between the domestic competitions and continental football, the Brazilians have appeared to have no problem with doing it all after winning the inaugural African Football League recently.
On Wednesday, Downs will be back to competing in the Premiership against AmaZulu before their scheduled next match at home against Egyptian side Pyramids in the Champions League on Sunday.
Last Saturday, Rulani Mokwena's charges suffered a 1-0 defeat to TP Mazembe in the Democratic Republic of the Congo but former Sundowns star Essop 'Smiley' Moosa believes that all is not lost for the Chloorkop outfit.
The Good
"Mamelodi Sundowns are without a doubt the best team in the PSL. I mean they have won the league a record six times in a row now and that says a lot about their class and the team they have. You can see even when they play in Africa that they aren't an ordinary team as they always compete even if they haven't won the Champions League since 2016. They reached the final and they have been doing well in that competition. I am not a fan of Sundowns because I played for the original Sundowns from Marabastad but I give credit where it is due and this group is very good," said Moosa.
The Bad
"What I have noticed is that whenever Sundowns are playing, their opponents are scared of them and they show them too much respect on the field. I think it's a psychological thing where clubs just get scared of them because of their dominance in the PSL and doing well in Africa. You can say whatever you want to say about Mamelodi Sundowns but those guys know exactly what they are doing and what they want to achieve. They will overpower you when they are in possession of the ball and if you haven't done your homework against them," he said.
The Ugly
"Don't make a mistake against Sundowns because they will punish you. They are never scared of taking the opponents on and that's what stands out about them. During my days as a professional footballer I played with some of the top players who made me become one of the best players of our time. I am talking about players who were very skilfull and expressed themselves freely on the field of play. If those guys were exposed to the world, a lot of them would have played for Real Madrid, Barcelona and other top teams from around the world," Moosa added.
What is the South African way of playing football?
