Mosimane urges his men to put away their chances
Since Pitso Mosimane took over as coach of Mamelodi Sundowns in 2012, he has won four Absa Premiership titles, but none of his players have ever finished as the top scorer in the division even though they are usually the top-scoring team in the top flight.
While Mosimane is not entirely convinced his players can walk away with the coveted Lesley Manyathela Golden Boot because of the system he plays, he says the likes of Sibusiso Vilakazi (below) and Themba Zwane can score more goals if they make the most of their opportunities.
“Vilakazi and Zwane create opportunities for themselves. The system allows them to get in front of goal and they should be scoring more. If you see how many goals they miss, it says that there is an opportunity for them to be the top goalscorers,” said Mosimane, whose side begin their 2019/20 Caf Champions League campaign on Sunday against AS Otoho D’Oyo in Brazzaville.
“Unfortunately our team is not a team like Black Leopards that play for Mwape Musonda, so he can score all the goals. With us, the people up front move around and sometimes we don’t play with a striker, so everybody has a chance to score,” said Mosimane.
Vilakazi believes he can finish the season as the leading marksman as he has already got off the mark in fine style when he scored a gorgeous goal against SuperSport United last weekend.
“Once you are fit and everything starts rolling, you are able to start putting yourself in that position of helping the team. Once the team does well, certain individuals will start to do what they do best in terms of scoring goals and making assists,” said Vilakazi.
The Bafana Bafana international played just 12 league games last season and scored two goals as he spent most of his time nursing a ruptured Achilles tendon – he says he was not disappointed by his low return of goals.
“I don’t feel like I have let myself down. I feel like I have been able to go through situations with a positive attitude and I have been able to overcome them.”