Brazilians learned from their mistakes
Congratulations are in order for Mamelodi Sundowns for winning the Absa Premiership title with a game to spare. They did indeed prove that a league campaign is a marathon and not a sprint.
They have learned from their mistake of letting go of the league last season when they slipped up in the run-in and allowed Bidvest Wits to overtake them.
It was the same situation because they were running away with it, but this time around they made sure and sealed it with a game to spare. That disappointment and failure turned into a motivation on its own to remain focused and work hard and smart.
When I say smart, I am referring to how they managed their games in the Caf Champions League and the domestic games. The technical team was able to find a balance in terms of keeping players fresh.
This can only be possible when you do things in detail and I believe this was how they found a solution to this challenge of juggling local and continental football. They analysed everything as to how they would continue to sustain the motivation.
They did their research and identified the type of football they need to play in Africa, they also analysed the type of football in terms of their use of energy. At home they were very quick and maintained that tempo. They realised that when they play at home they must up the tempo, but when playing in Africa, they need to manage the game.
The types of players that they brought on were also key to their league triumph. Look at Sibusiso Vilakazi, I believe that 90% of people never thought he would not be successful at the club. But the coach worked on his mindset and his fitness. If you look at him, he looks fitter than ever. I have never seen him looking any fitter than he is now.
The technical team worked hard on the mindset of the players so that they could fit into their tactical game plan. Another point is how they have been managing their recovery. It is not just an ordinary recovery. You can see it is dealing with a lot of details.
Coach Pitso Mosimane also said he gave the players the responsibility to do video analysis of their own performance. That is the right way to go because the players can’t always depend on the coach to identify their weaknesses.
Players have to come up with solutions as well and I think the coach got it spot on because all the players are hard-working on and
off the pitch.
Moving on to the opposite end of the table where we know Platinum Stars are already gone, but we are not sure which team will go into the play-offs. The game between Baroka FC and SuperSport United should be interesting. Baroka won’t want to repeat the mistake they made by conceding in the last minute against Bloemfontein Celtic because they would have been in a better position now had they won.
Doctor Khumalo still has a huge task on his hands in motivating the players because they are devastated after that result. On the part of Ajax Cape Town, I think they will have it a lot easier against Kaizer Chiefs, but in the end, we have to wait for the final round on the last day of the league.