Johannesburg - Pitso Mosimane speaks with so much confidence that even his opinions sounds like facts. One of his opinions is that this Mamelodi Sundowns’ team has what it takes to battle it out against the best in the continent in the CAF Champions League where he is targeting a minimum top four finish.
That confidence is driven by one important fact, Sundowns have been unstoppable at Lucas Moripe Stadium. A good home record is the foundation of any success in the continent, Al-Ahly and TP Mazembe are just some examples of that with 12 Champions League titles among the two clubs that were won at the back of solid home records where they lost the odd game or two on the road. So when Sundowns conceded Kule Mbombo’s goal in optional time to lose their first leg clash to AS Vita 1-0 in the second round, their trip back from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was made bearable by the realisation that no team has ever left Pretoria with anything in the Champions League this year. Chicken Inn and AC Leopards were both handed 2-0 defeats as Sundowns marched to the second round. The Brazilians will need a repeat of that next Tuesday when AS Vita are in town for the return leg.
“As I have said before the main reason for me to come to Sundowns was the vision of the club, believing in playing in Africa and taking the Champions League seriously,” Mosimane said. “I had the fever of the continent after spending five years at Bafana Bafana. We are a very strong team You know that in Pretoria there is always a goal.
“Always. No matter which team (we are playing against) there is a goal in Pretoria. That’s what we believe in.”
But before that, Mosimane has to monitor the toll the physical battle against AS Vita took on the Brazilians’ players as they prepare to take on Polokwane City at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Wednesday. The fixture is one of two league games that sit awkwardly between their two-legged clashes with Vita.
Jomo Cosmos follows Rise and Shine on Saturday night in Pretoria, leaving the league pace-setters with two days to recover and prepare for the second leg that they need to win to advance to the group stage for the first time since 2001.
But Mosimane isn’t complaining about the scheduling or the officiating that allowed Sundowns’ players to be mowed down in Kinshasa, instead he is looking at these matches as a test of what his players can do. In the first leg against Vita, Sundowns were without the suspended pair of Khama Billiat and Soumahoro Bangaly where he replaced them with Asavela Mbekile and Mzikayise Mashaba.
The hectic schedule has seen Mosimane tinker his line-up here and there, using similar faces just in different roles. This calm demeanour is part of Mosimane’s new look where he picks his battles smartly, fighting causes that are worth fighting and not things like officiating that just hurt his pocket in the fines he had to pay.
“I took a statement from Muhsin (Ertugral) two years back when he said that he matured a little bit and calmed down a little bit on the bench,” Mosimane said.
“I read that statement and saw that there was something good I can learn from it”.
The Star