Mamelodi Sundowns seem invigorated under the leadership of Rulani Mokwena, who was granted the sole head coach hot seat last month. Yes, they were already a well organised team, but they have been exceptional in the four games that Mokwena has overseen.
It’s too early to give him flowers, but the numbers and the performances of the team are too good to overlook. Masandawana have won all four games that the 35-year-old tactician has been in charge of, during which they also scored 15 goals without conceding.
Before Mokwena took over, they had scored 32 goals and conceded nine in 15 games.
It’s not surprising that they haven’t conceded a single goal lately, because of the way they keep ball possession and play offensively in most parts of the game. As they always say, the best way to defend is to attack.
Their primary focus is always retaining possession, and they have upped the speed of their game. You hardly see individual player movements, and they pass the ball around looking for pockets to find the way forward.
This past weekend, we saw how difficult they made it for AmaZulu and Orlando Pirates in the semi-final and final respectively. Usuthu and the Buccaneers struggled to handle Bafana Ba rotation of the ball and their force when attacking.
Mokwena has now hoisted his first trophy, winning the Carling Black Label Cup by hammering the Buccaneers 4-0 in the final. By the looks of things there are a lot more trophies to come.
Downs’ record under Mokwena
- Maritzburg United 0-5 Mamelodi Sundowns
- Royal AM 0-3 Mamelodi Sundowns
- Mamelodi Sundowns 3-0 AmaZulu
- Orlando Pirates 0-4 Mamelodi Sundowns
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