Mokwena: Nobody Cares About Us
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena admitted to exhaustion after his team secured a narrow penalty shootout victory in their Nedbank Cup quarter-final against University of Pretoria on Friday.
Despite the evident physical and mental fatigue, Mokwena expressed frustration at the lack of empathy. “Nobody seems to care that I’m tired,” he said. “But if we lose, everyone will be on our backs.”
He contrasted the South African football media’s approach with that of the English media. “Look at Manchester City versus Arsenal,” he pointed out. “The English media criticized Arsenal for parking the bus, while here we praise teams for doing the same against Sundowns.”
Sundowns now face a motivated Moroka Swallows at Dobsonville Stadium on Monday (19:30), a team currently battling relegation and just eight points clear of the drop zone. This upcoming match demands Sundowns to be in top form to secure a win.
“We need to recover quickly and prepare for a tough encounter,” acknowledged Mokwena. “Swallows are a decent team, and Dobsonville Stadium is a challenging pitch. Thankfully, I’ve watched them extensively this season, so I have a good idea of what to expect.”
Mokwena believes the team’s inconsistency and lack of convincing victories stem from the disruption caused by the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations. Ten senior Sundowns players were called up for the tournament, which only concluded in February.
“We haven’t had a consistent lineup since AFCON. Every game requires changes – injuries, player rotation – which hinders development,” Mokwena lamented.
These constant lineup adjustments, according to Mokwena, not only disrupt his game plan but also force the team to adopt a riskier approach to secure wins.
“This team keeps pushing and taking risks,” he emphasized. “In the Champions League quarter-final against Young Africans, we only had one center-back on the field, and nobody seemed to notice.”
Referring to their late tactical shift in the Nedbank Cup quarter-final, Mokwena reiterated, “We only had Mthobi Mvala as a central defender. We constantly take risks and strive for victory.”
Despite their recent struggles to dominate opponents, Sundowns maintain a comfortable 13-point lead at the top of the league table.
