It’s a mammoth month for Mamelodi Sundowns as they head to another topflight fixture on Tuesday evening when they take a short trip to Soweto to face 14th placed Moroka Swallows at the Dobsonville Stadium. Masandawana come from the back of a Nedbank Cup victory on Friday and with only just two days of rest, will be looking to make it win number 17 in the DStv Premiership this season.
Initially scheduled for Tuesday the 16th of April 2024, the DStv Premiership fixture against the Dube Birds will be played on Monday to accommodate coach Rulani’s men in preparing for their continental obligations away from home.
The Masandawana head coach admitted to exhaustion following the tight schedule they have been experiencing in the month of April. Despite the fatigue he believes the team is experiencing, the Johannesburg-born coach still believes that they can get desired results on Monday.
“I said to myself you are allowed to feel tired, feel grumpy and worn down because you are a human being and not a robot. I spend too much time on the team and it’s the same with the players,” he said.
“I’m not sure what we’ll do on Monday, we have to take it one day at a time at the moment. They must be exhausted because I am exhausted and I think the most important thing is recovery and regeneration,” coach Rulani continued.
After the Monday encounter against the Soweto-based side, the Brazilians will shift their focus to continental duties as they travel to Tunisia to compete against ES Tunis at the weekend for the first leg of the CAF Champions League fixture.
Mamelodi Sundowns will go head-to-head with Swallows on Tuesday evening at the Dobsonville Stadium. Kick off is scheduled for 19H30, live on SuperSport TV.
Psl is not treating us well as their representatives in Africa,how come are fixtures us during the week next week whereas they know it very well that we will be playing second leg of Semifinal with Esperance and I don’t know what’s the rush because they knew very well we are already Champions of Dstv this season,even if the league can end up on mid June there’s plenty of time of resting for the new season it’s unfair.
Can’t wait for Dr Khoza to retire,you can see our players tired cause they’re human beings not robot,a hard running team like Sekhukhune will be waiting for us next week ya ave kubuhlungu but asoze saphela amandla we will soldier on.
But we can cry about the fatigue kodwa okube kuxake our coach it seems he doesn’t trust other players,look on today’s game he should have fielded Coetze,Maboe and Mendieta etc so that his favourites can be fresh on Saturday even Seabi is available for Mokoena just for a change but who am I,I don’t even coach of grannies in my neighbourhood.
Let us trust the process, but to be honest i feel less confident than where were last time we reached the semi finals of CAF. Look at the game with Swallows, the goal came from a shot outside the box. Perhaps that is the solution, as this thing of trying to pass our way pass the defenders is never going to work. That can be done by the likes of Bayer, City and Liverpool as the the quality to control ball in those spaces is on another level, and even the quality of the pitch makes the difference. You cannot expect that kind of play in rugby field like the one Stellenbosch is using. We just need to try another way before its too late. I am seriously concerned to be honest, I believe we needed to take lesson from the Yanga experience.
I see the real reason Pirates loaned out Rhulani 2 Chippa United the is just taking foolish decisions day by day,I mean yesterday Tebogo was injured 4 a dead rubber game bcoz Sundowns will never b overtaken by anyone at the summit. MDUnyelwa,Mashego,Seabie,Maboe,Mendieta,Esquivel,Makena should have started the game yesterday,2 play the same players that r required 2 bring a top notch game on Friday plus the jetlag creeping in bcoz of a long journey hay hay Rhulani is starting 2 b a certified fool now.I mean Ighordaro at is at Supersport but we r struggling 2 score goals something that was clear during AFL Cup that we can’t rely on Shalulile alone upfront boom he brings an expensive midfielder from Argentina just 2 freeze him at bench.Nku, Maseko,,Mathews, Mdunyelwa were brought 2 add numbers at Sundowns why.Rhulani Mokoena you’ve got my vote ❎ of no confidence even if u bring Champions league hay u r just starting 2 b a plumber now its only resources at Sundowns nothing here.
Thank you referee for allowing that goal of Mhango to stood if was denied we would be the talk of the town as lately people are calling us all sought of names,to me it was a goal and another thing can someone tell me when was the last time we score a goal via setpiece I mean corner or freekick even defending it its a nightmare and I don’t know what the setpieces caoch is doing if we concede like this,that’s what happened if you don’t trust others but only your first eleven and it will continue like this and even a child can see that Riberio is just walking on the field its not that guy he was when the season start maybe he used to Mzansi since he came from Brasil he thought its easy.
I really think the team is too big for Rhulani. He needed to start at smaller teams before he could coach Sundowns. I don’t really have much hope against ES Tunis on Friday. What is the point of signing so many players when you’re not going to use them? We can’t use fatigue as an excuse when we have more than 40 players.
Lunga had a bad day in Office, he was kicking players from behind several times unnecessarily creating free kicks which one of them resulted in a goal and then he heads a ball badly which ball should not have been played at all so that Mhango could be offside.At this level we do not expect to hace bad boys in the field ,kicking players and creating unnecesssary fouls, and Mudau is another culprit in this regard.Our team is very bad in defending free kicks and very poor on second ball situations, they are very static and not marking and attacking the ball.Mbule ang Oubaas fo not convince me, they give the away very cheaply and are not quick to track back to keep the shape when we lose the ball.Mokoena and Allende are still going to dominate the line up because the ones that sre given an opportunity ,they dont grab it.Morena must learn to use both feet when in front of goals like Allende.
Why should we cry about fatigue whilist we have got so many players!! The problem is this chameleon approach that the coach is using!! And the other thing is we have got too many midfielders at the expense of Centre Forward!! We needed a Centre forward but we ended bring more midfielders in the form Matthews and Tashireeq!! Mandieta should be given a fair chance to play upfront!! Sundowns can’t break the low blocks!! Rhulani is clueless!! I feel as well that the team is just too big for Rhulani to be honest!! Look at the calibre of coaches that Aly Ahly engage!! It’s not comparable with Rhulani at all!! I think Rhulani has reached the celling!! He must go back to the basics of football!! Set the defence tight and the players in their natural positions!! Probably the team can improve. We need to do better against Esperance other it’s another Semi final exit for our team!!
We were luck to survive the Younga onslaught!! Had they taken the chances that they created, I don’t think that we could have out scored them!!
On last night game we started we well,we were playing more forward passes.The injury to Mokoena and Mbule’s introduction started o problems,we should have at least introduced someone offensive and play Allende with Aubaas in the middle,someone once said Mbule is not taking his career serious and he was spot on, secondly after scoring the second goal Williams started with his nonsense at the back and he nearly caused us two goals,he puts other players under unnecessary pressure,you can’t play balls in the center bcoz when intercepted opponents are clear on goal,the boy’s play lack discipline and the substitution of Allende made things worse.All Swallows goals are legitimate we are well versed with the rules. Aubaas is good defensively,he is got pace and aggression,he needs to work on his ball distribution,his passes mostly go to opponents,otherwise he’s got right attitude like Maboe,Mokoena and Mkhulise you can’t disposes them or their team mates and gets away with it.I don’t no if it is only me but ,what I’ve noticed is the team plays more offensive and score more goals when Zwane is not playing,if we can check most game where we scored more than a single game he was not playing bcoz every player when in possession tries to pass him even when other players are in perfect position to receive the ball,this is your homework Masandawana.On a positive note i was very impressed with the passing ability of Mvala and Modiba,they had a fantastic game,i think Modiba can easily play the role of Zwane,he is mor creative and has that element of aggression in him.Mvala was able to find our midfielders at ease with his long range passes.
Rhulani stop blaming the referee for an obvious goal Lunga should have leave that ball so that Mhango can be an obvious offside.
I used to protect Rhulani when people are saying things about him now I can see it for myself,our players are too much on comfort zone starting with the goalkeeper because they know no one will blame them even Rhulani himself is relaxing but one-day he will regret it when he’s no longer our coach maybe he thinks he will survive in Northern Africa because they admire him he must ask Pitso how those people want results no matter what,another thing is not that We are talkative when we complain or voicing our opinions it’s just that we can see the disaster that is about to happen one-day the Yellow Nation will stop singing and wants him out.
Not that I’m undermining our opponents but with the squad we have no team should stand on our way but they stand because we are only obsessed with possession,I heard that Jason Adams is coming next season another middlefielder not a striker which means even next year Shalulile will carry us alone because Ribeiro is on holiday here in SA,yesterday after the game I was even envy of Gammondi to come back the way Rhulani is hurting me nowadays.
Why our goalkeeper Williams is playing the central most of the times instead of playing it side ways? Don’t our coaches see that? He puts the receiving under pressure and when we loose possessions in the areas the opponents are clear on goal!! And failing to defend set plays will expose us big time against the North Africans!! Even if we out play them in possession football but they are always lethal in free kicks and punishing silly mistakes!! The game against Esperance this weekend it’s litmus test to Rhulani and his troops!! We to postpone the game against Sekhukhune so that we prepare well for the return leg!! As for Divine I think he should revert back to his natural position, that is left back!! AB should be slotted into that left sided centre back/Mvala/AB/Kekana. Rushine and Rivaldo can brought for these Centre positions as well!!
My brother Mfana i believe u knows south Africa rules team allowed 5 foreign players as u know foreign quotes at Sundowns exhausted no space for Igdaro i thank u
Person cannot be bad over night Rulan took over from Mnqithi last season he done wonder even now done well just few results we complain i believe we spoiled by good results guys nothing wrong we leading by margin whats complain for u believe u can do better put your cv in box
From what I have heard from the retired SA fifa referee Mhango’s goal was off side!! This was just discovered during the Robert Marawa Sports Show on radio 94.7!!I agree people that was off side even I think we didn’t deal with the situation well but here Rulani is vindicated!! Even the first Swallows goal looks off side when one look at the first guy that headed the ball towards Williams!! So possibly we conceded 2 off side goals!! It’s very unfortunate Masandawana!! But that referee could have done it deliberately just to prove a point!!
We need to Stephane Aziz Ki from Younga!!
I agree with you Mzimela, we are spoiled at Sundowns the coach did very well, winning the league earlier than the way even Pitso was winning them, he won a big african cup, we are running for participation on the worlds biggest tournament, we too far for other PSL teams, but we complain so much.losing of form was coming and all we need is to support this players, Rhulani is trying very hard to rotate the players better than even our Pitso but we are not grateful. Rhulani will be here for a very long time, Masandawana let us apreciate our own. and good luck to the team tomorrow.