Mamelodi Sundowns have little time to sulk after their elimination from the CAF Champions League when they take on TS Galaxy in a DStv Premiership match on Monday night.
That match will be followed up by a big encounter against Kaizer Chiefs on Thursday, before they travel to the Cape on Sunday to take on Stellenbosch FC in the semi-finals of the Nedbank Cup.
Sundowns were bundled out of the continental competition by Esperance of Tunisia in the semi-finals. Sundowns lost the first leg in Tunisia 1-0 last week, and went down by the same scoreline again when the sides met again in Pretoria on Friday.
In both matches the Tunisians took their chances despite Sundowns having the lion’s share of the possession. The South African champions struggled to break down Esperance’s deep-lying defence in both matches.
Teams normally sit deep when they take on Sundowns, and it’s why coach Rhulani Mokwena sought help from two Premier League team who play a similar brand of football to try and penetrate teams who “park the bus”.
“If I knew [how to beat teams sitting back] we would be in the final. And it’s okay not to have all the answers,” Mokwena said after the match.
“We spent a lot of time talking to analysts from Tottenham and Liverpool, asking how do you break down a low block. Fortunately, they gave us so much information, ideas, clips and presentations about tactical ideas they try to develop.
“When I don’t know anything, I invest time to find out and surround myself with people who are smarter than myself to give me ideas and solutions.
“I’m very proud of this group, about what they have done, to be so close all the time. But sometimes good is not good enough. People expect you to have all the answers, but it’s actually okay to say I don’t know.”
2️⃣2️⃣ #𝘿![CDATA[]]>𝙎![CDATA[]]>𝙩![CDATA[]]>𝙫![CDATA[]]>𝙋![CDATA[]]>𝙍![CDATA[]]>𝙀![CDATA[]]>𝙈 𝙂![CDATA[]]>𝘼![CDATA[]]>𝙈![CDATA[]]>𝙀![CDATA[]]>𝙎 𝙐![CDATA[]]>𝙉![CDATA[]]>𝘽![CDATA[]]>𝙀![CDATA[]]>𝘼![CDATA[]]>𝙏![CDATA[]]>𝙀![CDATA[]]>𝙉 ✅🌟
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) April 24, 2024
The Brazilians set the record for the longest unbeaten start to a PSL season! 🙌#Sundowns pic.twitter.com/ZdwPbMjmqS
However, those tips from Premier League giants Spurs and Liverpool could still come in handy as they look to take another step closer to winning the DStv Premiership, and possibly become the first team to go through a league season unbeaten.
Sundowns beat Sekhukune United in their previous league match to stretch their unbeaten run to 22, a new record start to a PSL season.
They are now two wins away from retaining their league title, having opened up a 10-point gap at the top of the table, despite having three games in hand over second-placed team Stellenbosch FC.
The fifth-placed TS Galaxy, though, won’t be pushovers, as they sit in fifth place on the standings after four wins and just one defeat in their last five matches.
@JohnGoliath82