Congratulations to Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club. I am happy for the Yellow Nation- Coach Rulani Mokwena

Mamelodi Sundowns have successfully completed their January fixtures with a hundred percent win rate after brushing aside Sekhukhune United by two goals to zero on Saturday afternoon in Pretoria.

The Brazilians crafted the better chances in the opening exchanges showing their usual dominance on the ball and goals on targets. Sundowns Head Coach  Rulani Mokwena gave a brief analysis of the match and summarized the encounter at a press briefing in Loftus, he said:

“[It was] Not an easy one, but if you look holistically at the numbers, four big chances for us, zero big chances for them. We gave them nothing in their attempts to clog our build up, they tried certain times nothing came off.”

Babina Noko built up the pressure in the last half of the first half and put efforts in the second half to equalize when their goal was called for an offside after capitalizing on a free kick shot. Coach Rulani expressed his thoughts on the first half and second half play of the game.

“The second half we didn’t build up so well especially once we went one man down. The pressure was there and the players decided to be a little bit more conservative but [I am] very proud of the players and proud of their efforts and the results. Congratulations to the players and to the team, congratulations to Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club, I am happy for the yellow nation.”

“The team is not built to absorb pressure and to defend deep in the block, it’s not a squad that is profiled like that with recruitment and with training. I’m not surprised that we still went and  played the way we trained and even though it as very, very difficult we had some moments where we had to suffer which is good for us in terms of the big games that are still coming up with the Champions League and the super League. But we always show that we are prepared to run.”

Coach Rulani continued and gave insight into what awaits his troops when they begin their continental cup competition, he said:

“The Champions League is a different space, much more intensive and  then we have to try to anticipate and try to look at the fixtures, but how we work is that we look at one game at a time. Before we even start to think about many other things we take one step at a time and one game at a time and try to win every single match.”

Masandawana showed domination in their last two encounters when they played their unusual starting lineup and introduced new faces on the scene. The defending Champions wrapped up their league games in style winning maximum points home and away despite their long injury list, Coach Rulani oraudeed his team for the efforts they put on and off the field.

‘The long and short of it is that, it’s just rotation and giving others a fair chance, which I think they’ve done really well. [Andile Jali] AJ has been superb in the last two games. [Bongani] Zungu has had some very good minutes for  him and to build him he’s had some very good possibilities.”

“Then there’s Denis Onyango, he’s been in that space and then that gives you the opportunity to still have Kennedy [Mweene] and Reyaad [Pieterse] on the bench to still also be part of the group and that helps a lot in terms of the group dynamics especially because of the leadership status.”

 Mamelodi Sundowns will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Soweto to lock horns with Orlando Pirates in their first fixture of February, live on SuperSport TV.