Pitso's plan to destroy Egyptians' pyramid scheme

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane. Photo: Samuel Shivambu

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane. Photo: Samuel Shivambu

Published Oct 15, 2016

Share

 

Johannesburg - Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane has advised his players to keep calm and not do anything out of the ordinary in their routine leading up to one of the biggest games of their lives.

Saturday’s CAF Champions League final, first leg, is a memorable occasion in the Brazilians’ history.

The last time they reached this stage of Africa’s premier club competition was in 2001. They lost that encounter to Al-Ahly 4-1 on aggregate.

Another Egyptian giant, this time Zamalek, stands between Sundowns and continental glory. That quest starts at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday (3pm). The return leg is in Alexandria next Sunday night.

“I told them they don’t have to change the way they have been doing things,” Mosimane said.

“You have to do what you did that led you to be in the final. You have to ask yourself, how did I get to the final?’ Look at the good and the negatives. You take the good and try to improve on the challenges - be it on the tactical, technical, mental or social side.

“I told them that just because this is the biggest game of their lives, I don’t want you to change your lives drastically. Now you start sleeping at 7pm because you want to sleep early and you change your cycle. That will affect you in the match. So do what you have been doing. If you have been sleeping at 10pm, do so.

“But if there are things you might have done that were a challenge to your preparation, you shouldn’t go with that.”

Mosimane listened to his own advice. He didn’t change much in his preparations.

The players who needed rest - the Bafana trio of Hlompho Kekana, Keagan Dolly and Tebogo Langerman, who returned from Burkina Faso on Monday, and those nursing niggles - were given plenty of rest. When the Bafana trio were still feeling too tired to do the opponents’ analysis on Wednesday, he moved it to Thursday.

“I needed them to be sharp,” Mosimane said.

The players analysed Zamalek’s two-legged clash with Wydad Casablanca in the semifinals, where they had to report on what they saw.

After winning the first leg 4-0, the White Knights were given a scare by Wydad, but they scored two important goals in the 5-2 defeat to win the tie 6-5 on aggregate.

While the players looked at that match, the technical team analysed the back-to-back victories Sundowns registered over Zamalek in the group stage. What they learnt will be put to the test this afternoon and next week.

In this tournament’s history, it’s always been viewed as an advantage to play the second leg at home.

The clubs that play the second leg at home won 12 of the 19 editions of the Champions League in its current format which started in 1997.

But Mosimane doesn’t read much into that as his Brazilians try to repeat the seven occasions where the club that hosted the first leg went on to win the Champions League on foreign soil.

“I think playing home and away is all about the mentality because we played Zamalek away first and won,” Mosimane said.

“They came here and we won. Playing home and away has nothing to do with the game. The aggregate is the same. You still have the same fair chance of playing at home and then facing the opponents away.

“It’s fair. You can’t complain about which leg is home and which one away.

“The problem starts when you say, oh, we have to defend away’. That’s when you struggle. When you play away, it’s important to score. When you play at home, it’s important not to allow the opponents to score. That’s the difference.”

Saturday Star

Related Topics: