Chloorkop is where it is all happening if you are talking South African football and the hard work put into the team by the technical team and everyone at Sundowns continues to shine through their playing personnel. You can see how meticulous they are in their approach. It doesn’t matter if you score first and push them into a corner, they continue to stay true to their identity. They don’t panic and change their modus operandi, like most teams, in chase of an equaliser. They play their normal game, knowing that they will create chances of their won, instead of hoofing the ball up front and hoping for the best, which is not part of their DNA. They don’t force issues because they are a team that builds from the back.
Forget about their history-making 2-1 CAF Champions League win away to TP Mazembe or their gallant come-from-behind 2-1 win away to Stellenbosch FC last Saturday afternoon. It was the Nedbank Cup quarterfinal win against Polokwane City that caught my attention. Within 27 minutes, it was already game, set and match! Sundowns had scored four impressive goals and secured their place in the semi-finals. It was a polished and professional performance that continued their dominance, putting to bed any potential doubts anyone would have had about the non-regulars who had been given a chance due to the team’s congested fixture schedule. However, I was equally impressed by the post-match interview of coach Manqoba Mngqithi, who was disappointed by his team. Yes, you heard right, Mngqithi wasn’t happy with the second half performance of his team as he expected more from his charges, who finished the first 45 minutes cruising 4-0. The soft-spoken coach was also note entirely happy with some of the players who were given a rare chance to play for the star-studded Sundowns team. In part, this is what he had to say as his synopsis of the game: “It was very disappointing, to be honest, because when you give an opportunity to someone who has not been playing, you expect him to exert himself and show that he really deserves to be in the team… It is always fair to give other boys a chance and see what they can offer. Maybe we can say they didn’t perform to the level we wanted, but the good thing is that now they know that there’s a lot that is expected of them and they must give it their best shot. But, I must be honest, second half I was not happy at all. I wanted more, I wanted the team to score as many goals as possible. For me, that is always important, to score when you have a chance because it builds the confidence of the team. But, unfortunately, we did not do that. Nonetheless, it was still a good game…It is a little bit tough, but we’re used to it now. Our best training sessions are our matches, that’s where we train a lot… We never really get much time to train in season, where our periodization is always more on trying to make sure that the team is fresh for the next match. When you score early, it gives you that opportunity to be able to take other players out and possibly have a better team for the forthcoming game. But the truth of the matter is, in-season Sundowns never really get to train. Maybe we train with video analysis and other things, but physically, we don’t want to bash the body.”
This is a coach whose team has just won 4-0, but he’s still not happy. He didn’t use their hectic schedule as an excuse or that they gave a couple of fringe players a chance. He also didn’t even use the changes made in the starting line-up or the substitutions as an excuse. Instead, he challenged those who were given an opportunity to up their game. This goes to show the high standards used to measure the performances by the whole technical team. That whoever gets the nod, is expected to deliver at a certain standard regardless of their match fitness, or lack thereof. This is a technical team that doesn’t rest on their laurels and continue to demand more from their charges. All things considered, it would have been easy for any coach to accept the good win, but not this Sundowns technical team. When you look at this, it comes as no surprise that they have been such a dominant force in the league.
Under the current tutelage of Mngqithi, Steve Komphela and Rhulani Mokwena, this team has done it all against odds. After losing coach Pitso Mosimane to Al Ahly, the naysayers had their notepads out, ready to write Sundowns’ obituary, but they remain solid to this day. There’s hardly any difference between the current team and the one from last season. To top it all off, this team suffered back-to-back tragic losses of Anele Ngcongca and Motjeka Madisha which, needless to say, left huge psychological and emotional scars on the whole team. It is never easy to bounce back from such losses and you need to look no further than Senzo Meyiwa’s untimely passing and the impact it had on Orlando Pirates to understand my point. Sundowns hardly took their foot off the pedal, notwithstanding these two tragic losses, and that speaks to a lot of hard work that was put into the team behind the scenes, dealing with their losses without losing their direction. As things stand, it looks like it is going to take a lot of a mission for anyone to stop this Sundowns dominance. They seem to be on “Catch us if you can” mode! There’s just something good at Chloorkop and this is great for South African football!
Staying with Sundowns, let me also acknowledge and congratulate Dr Patrice Motsepe on his appointment as the new CAF President. This is a massive win for South Africa and the SADC region, and a lot will be expected from him as he rolls up his sleeves to take on the daunting task ahead of him. All the best to the president!
VeeJay
