Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena has reflected on the FIFA World Cup trip that he and the Downs technical team embarked upon. Mokwena and his colleagues are back in the country as they have begun the preparations for the return of the DStv Premiership.
Bafana Ba Style witnessed the first and second round of the group stages, attending four matches a day. The 35-year-old coach admitted that it was never easy to travel in between the games and says they are surprised they got it done.
Mokwena says the trip enriched their football knowledge as they got to learn from top experts from different countries.
“We have to thank the club, the chairman, the Motsepe family for the privilege that they bestowed upon us to send us on the trip and to give us an opportunity to not just witness history being made but also learn from some of the best coaches and some of the best football players,” Mokwena told Sundowns media.
“We got an opportunity to watch 17 games in five days which is something that was very difficult to do. We were attending four matches per day but it’s something that myself and the rest of the technical team were able to do.
“Even though it was very difficult, we’re surprised we were able to get it done and as difficult as it was with a lot of travelling, a lot of long-distance walks, long distance jogs sometimes because we were trying to win overtime in between games. We managed to do it by encouraging each other.
“It also gave us an opportunity to build our own chemistry between us as we spent a lot of time with each other which helped to formulate some group dynamics and get to know each other better off the pitch.
“We met the coach of the USA, we met the Technical Director of FIFA, we were privileged enough to experience these things and to see the level.”
Masandawana are now bracing themselves for what’s going to be a titanic clash against Orlando Pirates whom they hammered 4-0 in their last match in the Carling Black Label Cup.
The match will take place on the 30th of December with kick-off set for 15:30 at Loftus Versveld Stadium.
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