Johannesburg – There was a time when Thabo Nthethe’s greatest asset, staying calm under pressure, was seen as a weakness, with people arguing that he was too casual for a defender.
Some even went as far as to tell him he should switch positions – but he didn’t listen to them.
This lent poignancy to the moment when he was called to the podium during the PSL awards night at Emperors Palace to receive the Absa Premiership Defender of the Season award from that stalwart of defence, Lucas Radebe.
That night – during which he also received the award for the Telkom Knockout Player of the Tournament – was one of his most memorable in an unforgettable season, Nthethe said, his face betraying his excitement.
“That’s the way I am,” he said.
“People have been saying I don’t look like a defender. They said I should play in midfield because I am too relaxed to be at the back.
“But I never listened to those people. I am glad I didn’t because I am here because of it.
“I didn’t entertain those thoughts of playing in midfield. I just worked on my game.
“Consistency is the most important thing I was concentrating on at the beginning of the season. What I saw in the past, which I lacked most, was consistency in my game. I just did my best at the back.”
Nthethe’s best was the cornerstone in Mamelodi Sundowns’ winning the Premier Soccer League in style and breaking records.
But there isn’t much time for the club to celebrate as they start their CAF Champions League group stage on Saturday with a match against Algerian side ES Setif that will kick off at 11.15pm South African time.
The Brazilians leave on Tuesday for Setif, ending a couple of weeks’ deserved rest.
But Nthethe and company won’t be complaining because of the workload because they have set their hearts on excelling in the tournament.
They have been given a second chance since AS Vita eliminated them in the second round of the Champions League.
As they were licking their wounds and looking to make the most of their demotion to the CAF Confederation Cup, Ghana’s Medeama knocked them out in an ill-tempered second leg.
The club lost these matches with away goals. On each occasion they lost their cool. They were angered by poor officiating against Vita, and during the game against Medeama they were sidetracked by off-the-field gamesmanship.
These lessons will be at the back of their minds when they resume their Champions League campaign, having been handed a lifeline by being invited back after Vita were kicked out for fielding a suspended player.
“I think those are two games where we did well, it showed as we lost only by an away goal,” Nthethe said.
“We have to concentrate on what’s happening on the field of play because that’s where it matters most.
“We have to block out whatever treatment we get and make sure it doesn’t distract us. We have another chance as a team in the Champions League.
“We wanted to reach the group stage.
“This is our chance, although people say we reached it through the back door.
“We will be in some tough environments going to ES Setif, Enyimba and Zamalek in our group. If we are not tough mentally, we won’t make it.
“Those games need us to be strong mentally as a team.”