Another tough night out at Dobsonville Stadium as Mamelodi Sundowns played to a one-all draw with Highlands Park. The game presented an opportunity to narrow the point difference with log leaders Kaizer Chiefs to one point, but a draw away from home is still important.
Coach Pitso Mosimane made a couple of changes to the team that played against Orlando Pirates two days ago. Mosa Lebusa, Keletso Makgalwa and Lyle Lakay made way for Tebogo Langerman, Sibusiso Vilakazi and Gaston Sirino, who was back on the team for the first time after serving a two-match ban.
The home side was the first one to hit the ground running as they took the lead as early as the fifth minute as Peter Shalulile controlled the ball and unleashed a shot that passed Denis Onyango. Not to be outdone, the Brazilians kept on knocking but the Highlands Park defence kept proving hard to beat. Eventually, they were broken as Sphelele Mkhulise pounced onto an inch-perfect cross from Sirino to level the matter. At the break, the score was one all.
Coach Pitso Mosimane threw in Keletso Makgalwa and Promise Mkhuma to add pace and force Highlands onto the back foot and try and get a goal that would deliver maximum points. Both sides were pushing each other and looking for that elusive goal and Mkhuma, who was making his debut, could have sealed the three points as he found himself in the box but his shot sailed over Tapuwa Kapini’s goals.
No goal was scored in the second half and the game ended in a stalemate and a second draw in a row for Masandawana. Next on the calendar is a trip to familiar territory at Loftus Versfeld as Mamelodi Sundowns take on Cape Town City on Monday the 17th at 18:00, the game will be live on SS4.
Honestly speaking, we were just lucky to beat Wits in the Nedbank semi-final. Can someone tell me what is it that Pitso is trying to achieve with the ever-slow middle-field of Kekana, Coetzee. It is so ironic that Sundowns have the most outstanding technical staff any team will wish to have locally, yet fail to combine thoughts and change the mediocre performance displayed by the currrent team we’ve been watching everyday. So sad that we facing yet another situation wherein only the head coach’s most favourite players will always get a chance to play no matter what. I am afraid what will happen when we meet Chiefs in our next game. It is not always about winning every game, but playing good football is what we want to see displayed by our teams
What happening masandawana? out of 6 points we have 2 .are middle field is very slow and they commit lot of mistakes, are we still going for a league?
We really dont deserve the absa premiership champion playing like we are playing , I do understand that we are coming back from a long layoff but a little bit of commitment will go a long way in helping us,the less said about the combination of keke and riva the better. Our midfield is non existent and the they are playing week in week out without producing anything to justify their inclusion
I understand match fitness is a problem at this moment but that goaes for all the temas in the PSL.
We’ve concede 3 goals in three games meaning 1 goal for each game, It doesn’t help performing upfront and opening the flood gates at the back, That can demoralize the hard working players upfront, to me this is a big concern at the back and without a doubt our culprit is without a doubt always Madisha, the boy doesn’t learn no matter how many chances he’s been given, We always cringe when opponents attack us, if it were other players, they would be relegated to the bench for such school-boy rrors, but because he is Pitso’s favourite and knowing Pitso he’s more obsessed in trying to prove us wrong than to do justice for the entire team😏😏 We would’ve won yesterday’s difficult game if it wasn’t for our his school-boy errors.
Another thing is this experimental combination of Keke and Cotzee, at this cruicial time of the league? Our coach shoots us on the foot at times, some games we have no one to blame but ourselves honestly, at this rate, we might as well forget about the league.
There is only one solution, replace Cotzee in middle of the park and play Jali or mabunda or whoever
The problem with our coach he thinks he knows it all! The problem is the midfield to start with with Rivaldo does not make tackles yet is being played infrront of the defence! The less said about Madisha the better! Rivaldo can actually play the position that Madisha is playing! This will open space for Jali/Mabunda. This will add pace into the midfield. Why turn mid fielders into strikers? Laffor should be given space in that strike force department. He is our savoir never the issues that he has with the coach! Arendse could have done better in defence in that game against Highlands park! Those guys were playing high balls that needed defenders with height! I do not know this experimentation that the coach is doing will take to! At this time of the season, chasing the league, you start experimenting with the midfield combination never played is suicidal
I couldn’t have said it better bro
Coach is not fielding the strongest possible squad. We are not benefitting from having the most powerful and talented squad in the country.
Its using a Polo 1.4 engine to travel to Cape Town from Gauteng when you have a V6 Jeep Sahara parked in the garage.
Masandawana I personally think we have too much coaching staff..and clouding information and analysis… PISTO I always say Sir to u… this but this time..unenkani””proving a point where it’s not necessary…why changing combination of JALI and KEKE…hayi suka udlala ngathi”…. it’s not that we don’t want to loose games, but in a respective manner… this is Sundowns… now no Sundowns supporters can tell what is going to happen next game..if u can say we WINNING PLZ PUT YOUR NAME,AND DON’T HIDE AFTER FALLS NO 9…I SAID WHY NOT OFFER MONEY TO OFFORI/ TYSON’/HOTTO/DZUKAMANJA.. even BUHLE is better than mistakes we see…blv me we can compete in champions League, with this guy’s… it’s funny we have the money…then our opposition.. everyone knows… Sundowns have a right to benefit from this jumble sale… there is nothing wrong with that… what happened to Wit’s is sad,but we must take advantage…PISTO SWALLOW YOUR PRIDE. AND PAY WHAT THEY NEED.. YOU’VE DONE THIS.. REMEMBER HOW ARENDSE CAME TO SUNDOWNS,… SUNDOWNS ONCE BOUGHT PLAYERS FROM RELEGATED SANTOS, FOR NO REASON…AND MANY MORE, SOME DIDN’T EVEN PLAY FOR SUNDOWNS..BUT NO ONE WAS FIRED OR QUESTIONED…
Our coach is failing us big time. Why playing players out of positions at this stage of season. I don’t see us winning the title this season. Pitso’ s fault.
What is it that Jali did to you coach not to deserve a start. Outplayed in the middle by Wits and Pirates now by Highlands Park? Something that is unusual for Sundowns. Games are becoming slimmer every day, if you don’t want the league; we supporters want to win it. So fix this thing
The obsession o coach to make Kekana player of the season is killing us.You don’t bcum a player of the season by the number of games u played but,contribution u made for the team.Currently Keke is offering nothing to the team,he loses the ball cheaply,unable to trap or pass,he has never completed 10 passes in 3 games.Coetzee passing is non effective.Our two central midfield should be benched.You can’t experiment during this time of the season.Maboe put pressure to the opposition,they foul him and we get goals from those fouls,Lekhuleni had a good game against Wits but coach saw otherwise.The sooner we put team ahead of friendship the better.
We are finished now chiefs won ,Pitso keeps on playing Rivaldo with kekana ,why not jali ? I don’t we us winning this nedbank either
Pitso is failing us with his starting line-up. I always say it Rivaldo is a defender, not a Middlefielder, sundown bought him as one of the best defenders in the country, so why play him in out of position? Jali must come back in the Middlefield together with Mabunda or Kekana despite his poor performance. We do not have strikers, these young players do not have experience, it is too risky to play them in this stage of the competition. Pitso must use experience players like Lafor as striker together with Vilakazi, Zwane and Serino; in defense, Langerman, Rivaldo, Nocimento or lebusa, and Maboe. If nothing is done, we will loose the tittle even the calf champion league.
And why Manqoba, our best assistant coach is not on the bench? Mokoena is just new in the club, he must sit on the stand like others.
Nkoyi.. I asked myself about Manqoba…Mokoena should start at MDC… after his stunt…. your right
Coach is not fielding the strongest possible squad. We are not benefitting from having the most powerful and talented squad in the country.
Its like using a Polo 1.4 engine to travel to Cape Town from Gauteng when you have a V6 Jeep Sahara parked in the garage.
Rivaldo is not a midfieder but couch insist he is. There are natural defending midfielders like sumahoro in the bench but they do not ixist to Pitso. Unless a miracle happens, the league is gone.
Why bring talented players to sundowns and not play them according to their strength?
Welcome back the Brazilians, from the President, coaching stuff, the players and all the supporters around Africa as a hole. so far the team hasn’t play the Sundown’s stile but good point to the Buccaneer and a win to the Student on the Nedbank cup. Now last night I watch our game against the Citizens of Cape Town (Cape Town City) and I was embarrass with the final score but any way the boys mustn’t loose hope because there’s still games to play and the glamour boys can also loose and we might win the tittle again.