Pitso aims to make Sundowns dominant club in SA
Hardworking Tswane side wins all three major trophies in one season
Mamelodi Sundowns tactician Pitso Mosimane has emphasised that winning a treble of trophies this campaign didn’t mean other teams had failed to keep up with them. He underlined that it was the hard work they put in that saw them dominate the domestic league.
Having won the Telkom Knockout in December and defended their league title by dislodging Kaizer Chiefs from the summit on the last day of the Absa Premiership season two weeks ago, Sundowns clinched the Nedbank Cup when they beat Bloemfontein Celtic 1-0 at Orlando Stadium at the weekend. Gaston Sirino netted the goal, ensuring the Brazilians clinched three out of the four trophies on offer domestically.
The victory meant Mosimane now boasts 11 trophies since joining Sundowns in December 2012.
“I can’t say that [it’s easier for them to win trophies], you guys [the media] can say that. But we’re only focused on trophies that are available to us and you must know it’s not easy; people think it’s easy,” said the chatty Mosimane.
“We came from 13 points behind to win the league, travelling, playing every three days. There was a lot of stress ...[we were] the first team to come to the [bio-]bubble and we’re the last team to leave the bubble.”
Mosimane added: “A lot of work, a lot [of] mileage on the players. You ask yourself how a player like Hlompho Kekana copes with this stress and pressure.”
The 56-year-old former Bafana Bafana mentor wants his Brazilians to achieve the status of being the biggest club in the country. Mosimane intends to lead Downs in the footsteps of English Premier League giants Manchester United, who for decades dominated their league.
“It’s important for us [to continue winning cups] because we want the children who are eight, nine, 10 or 12 years old at this time, to see the yellow jersey lifting trophies all the time,” said Mosimane.
“That’s how Manchester
United became the biggest club; they won trophies. I mean, those guys dominated for 20 years and we’re talking about 10 years here. We have a long way to go.”
Sundowns played almost all the games on the domestic front (30 league, three MTN8, four in the TKO and five in the Nedbank Cup). They only missed out on the MTN8 final, with their neighbours SuperSport United defeating them in the two-legged semifinal to end up eventual champions. This means all four PSL trophies ended up in Tshwane this season.
In total, Sundowns played 54 matches in the past season, as they were involved in the preliminaries of the Caf Champions League, where they also reached the quarterfinals.
Sundowns’ trophies under Pitso Mosimane
Absa Premiership (5): 2013-14; 2015-16;
2017-18; 2018-19; 2019-20
Telkom Knockout (2): 2015-16; 2019-20
Nedbank Cup (2): 2014-15; 2019-20
CAF Champions League (1): 2016
CAF Super Cup (1): 2017
A lot of work, a lot [of] mileage on the players