Cuthbert Malajila
Cuthbert Malajila has hit top form in front of goal for Mamelodi Sundowns.
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KICK OFF: Your second season at Mamelodi Sundowns has seen you play and score more regularly. How does it feel to have had such improved form? CUTHBERT MALAJILA: It is awesome considering that last season I was disturbed by hamstring injuries when the second round started. I can smile now because an improved performance is what I am always working towards. Contribution wise, I feel I can offer even more as long as I get to play. I am not the kind of player who slips into the comfort zone. You appear to have won the confidence of Pitso Mosimane – you are now the firstchoice striker ... All strikers at Sundowns can deliver when given the chance. For now the coach feels I offer what he needs. Your workrate, especially off the ball, has always been admirable, and for someone who is also scoring this has surely been a plus for the team? If I am not working hard then I feel like I am not playing the match, so I always strive to go all out. Whenever I put in the extra effort I feel I am enjoying my football. My strongest asset is hard work. If I work hard everything falls into place for me – I don’t mind chasing defenders. What has Mosimane added to your understanding of the game? He is a coach who always wants more out of his players. He gives his maximum and expects the same from his players. It took me time to understand him, but I have matured working under him as he is frank and straightforward. He knows what all his players are capable of – he asks ‘Do you know why you are here?’, and his answer is always, ‘It is because you are all good
players and my job is just to work towards making you better. At Sundowns we don’t just sign any player but talented players who need to push the extra yards’. In such a star-studded team, how do you handle the level of competition? There is no one player better than the other at Sundowns – it is all about who gets the chance on the day. All the players have something special in them. The plus is that we play for the team. And how is the working relationship amongst the strikers? I am amongst the least experienced strikers so I always get help from the likes of Mame [Niang], Katlego [Mashego], Anthony [Laffor] and Surprise [Moriri]. They are all contributing towards my improvement and always guide me, which is ultimately good for the team. I am doing well because I am getting help from all these guys. It has also helped that I played for the two biggest teams back home, at Highlanders and then at Dynamos, where the fans are really demanding. How do you plan to remain relevant at Sundowns seeing that they buy new players every season? In football it is always like that. At the beginning of the season I wasn’t getting into the team, but I waited for my chance and when it came I grabbed it. You must always ask yourself what you have to offer the team, and if you are actually delivering
If I work hard everything falls into place for me – I don’t mind chasing defenders.
when given the chance on that day. This is what keeps you in the team. To what would you attribute your scoring form this season? I scored 11 goals in my last season at Maritzburg United and I wanted to improve on that last season, but then got injured. Now I am on 10 goals, and I feel I have improved from last season’s total but I still want more. I have the support to improve because scoring chances are being created for me. Have you thought about finishing as the League’s top scorer? What matters is that my efforts are contributing towards the team’s success. My target was to get into double figures this season and now that I am there I will push for whatever I can get. How many goals do you think the top scorer will net? At least 15. Am I wrong? I say 15 considering the environment we are competing in. I believe that in a 16-team league, strikers should be getting past 20, but some teams play with the intention of defending for 90 minutes. I know the same happens in Europe. We also miss chances, but what is important is to stay positive. The lack of 20-goal strikers in the PSL is a cause for concern though … Fans always want to see goals and as a striker I should be scoring in every match. At times it depends on what the game requires – part of my job is also to provide assists, and I think I have about eight assists this season. [Editor: Malajila has 11 assists in all competitions.] It is possible to score 20-plus goals every season, but as strikers we have to take note that we are also missing opportunities, and realise there is room for improvement. How do you feel about Zimbabwe being banned from the 2018 World Cup, which essentially freezes your international career? It is really embarrassing and I cannot run away from that reality no matter how angry it makes me feel. The worst part is that other internationals at the club are always making fun of us being suspended and it hurts. If you knew how it feels to be scorned by Anthony Laffor and Kennedy Mweene then you would know about the kind of humiliation I am talking about. I hope this mess will be resolved and we eventually get back into internationals.
Fans always want to see goals and as a striker I should be scoring in every match.