Sundowns Head Coach Manqoba Mngqithi believes that his key players not playing too many games will work in their favor as they prepare for the CAF Champions League.
Ronwen Williams and Mothobi Mvala missed some matches at the beginning of the season due to injuries. Meanwhile, Teboho Mokoena and Khuliso Mudau were left out of the squad due to issues with coach Mngqithi but were later reinstated.
Despite these challenges, Sundowns have advanced to the semifinals of the Knockout Cup and are only three points behind the record-breaking start of Orlando Pirates in the South African league.
With about 20 days remaining before the start of the CAF Champions League group matches, Sundowns are beginning to play better and better. Coach Mngqithi expressed his satisfaction, noting that his players are hitting their peak form at the right time.
He also highlighted that many of his top players will be fresh, as they haven’t had a heavy match load.
“We wanted to peak around this time. We didn’t want to arrive at this time with most of the players having a lot of games at their back. We are excited most of the players had been protected a lot and they don’t have much of a load on their legs,” said Mngqithi.
“We are hoping we will be able to sustain the football actions, which is why I was demanding a bit more consistency from how we approach the game after we scored the first two goals because I saw we were going back to being sluggish and we were playing to kill time.”
Reflecting on a recent game, he said,
“I think our game plan on the day was good. I’d like to thank my fellow coaches, my analysts, and everybody surrounding the team. It was a good plan, and it came out the right way. The only thing I feel uncomfortable about is I think we could’ve scored a lot of goals.”
Sundowns will play their first group-stage match against Maniema United from the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Group B, their other rivals include Raja Casablanca, the champions of the Moroccan league, and AS Far, the league’s runners-up.
Sundowns are set to play only one league match before their Champions League opener, a game against Polokwane City on Wednesday. Besides this league match, South Africa’s giants also have matches in the Knockout Cup.