Johannesburg - Mamelodi Sundowns’ coach Pitso Mosimane fears that the hectic schedule might be starting to take a toll on his players. He said this after watching his side get outplayed by Bidvest Wits in the MTN8 final on Saturday.
In that 3-0 loss, Mosimane started with two players, Ricardo Nascimento and Sibusiso Vilakazi, who aren’t registered in the CAF Champions League. The other nine players had not had a semblance of a break because the group stage of the Champions League started in pre-season. Last month those players balanced starting their Absa Premiership title defence while they marched to the finals of the MTN8 and the Champions League.
“I have said it before, not now, we saw against Zesco United (in the Champions League semi-finals) that we are a little bit running out of steam,” Mosimane said. “We are slow in certain second balls. But that’s not an excuse. I am happy that I said it before, even when we won against Chippa United. Playing against well-rested teams is a little bit of a challenge to lift the team up. But things happen for a reason. Maybe you win this final and then you don’t win the Champions League.”
Mosimane continued, “I would rather have the Champions League because this thing (the MTN8), we are going to come back to it next year. I mean, how many times are we going to play this? But the Champions League comes once in a while. It takes many, many years to reach its final. I am not saying that we didn’t go for the MTN8, we played for it. We wanted to win it. But we will come back to it next year.”
Mosimane said he will continue to give his players as much rest as possible leading up to the Champions League final first leg in two weeks at home against Zamalek. But Keagan Dolly, Hlompho Kekana, Tebogo Langerman - who are registered for the Champions League - and Vilakazi who isn’t, have to travel to Burkina Faso for the start of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers on Saturday in Ouagadougoou.
The quartet will be joined by Kennedy Mweene and Dennis Onyango on the road as they try to help their countries try to qualify for the global showpiece.
After that the South African contingent will play a friendly against Ghana in Durban on October 11.
Mosimane doesn’t believe that his players, especially those with Champions League duties, should play the friendly. It’s the same concern he had about his players playing a friendly against Egypt after an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Mauritania while he had to travel to Ndola afterwards. But he will handle things differently this time around, he won’t just complain to the media.
“The international break is coming,” Mosimane said. “They are travelling to Burkina Faso and then we have the Champions League after that. These are World Cup qualifiers, I expect my players to be a part of it and help the country go to the World Cup.
“There’s no excuse on that. They must be on the flight and go there. I don’t know about the friendly against Ghana because three days after it I have a game. Last time we didn’t address it well. This time we will send a letter to do it the right way. I don’t know if they have to be a part of the friendly match against Ghana. But it’s not my call. I have to respect that.”
@extrastrongsa
The Star