WE’LL BE BACK, DOWNS VOW
Team has learnt a lot from Asian experience
MAMELODI Sundowns will be back at next year’s Fifa Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates‚ they will learn their lessons from this year’s tournament in Japan and they will be better‚ the Brazilians’ defender Wayne Arendse said.
The Club World Cup has been an eye-opener for Downs‚ and the best kind of learning experience that a South African soccer club with the worthy ambition of trying to become a global competitor could have asked for.
They lost both their matches in Japan.
But Downs were so enthused by the experience that the players were raving even immediately after a deflating 4-1 fifth-place playoff defeat against South Korea’s Jeonduk Hyundai Motors that they would win the Caf Champions League again next year‚ and be back on this stage to do things a little better.
Club president Patrice Motsepe even went to Downs’ changeroom after the game at Osaka’s Suita City Football Stadium on Wednesday night and said as much‚ assuring the players they would have all the backing to be back at the CWC in a year.
Arendse explained exactly how difficult it was for Downs in their 2-0 quarterfinal defeat against host club Kashima Antlers and loss against Jeonduk to try to match opponents who were quicker-thinking‚ better organised and quicker to the ball.
“They’re very quick‚ always getting first to the ball‚ very sharp and well organised tactically.
“We saw those things‚ and we need to apply them in our game too‚” the Downs centreback said.
“We need to be quicker‚ sharper tactically‚ and more ruthless in the box.
“These small differences‚ shielding the ball‚ all those small details, are what Asian teams do best.”
There are parallels to be drawn between Sundowns’ first CWC and their first unsuccessful forays into African continental soccer under coach Pitso Mosimane.
In the Champions League‚ Downs went home after defeats‚ reinvented their approach and won this year’s competition. The CWC has revealed much. One challenge for Downs was that it was clear that their Asian counterparts play at a high intensity in their domestic leagues.
“They go through this week in and week out – whereas for us‚ at home‚ we don’t see this often‚” Arendse said.
“But as the coach emphasised‚ there was a year in the Champions League where we got hammered 3-1 by TP Mazembe. “And we learnt from that. “We went back and rectified those things.
“And then we were better, we improved, and we won the Champions League.
“It’s different levels‚ from the PSL‚ to Africa‚ to here.
“This year we were playing in our first game in the Fifa Club World Cup.
“We saw those things. Now we need to go back and improve.
“We’re going to find ourselves back here in the next Club World Cup.
“It’s a global stage‚ and that’s the stage we want to be on.
“We need to try to improve and step up our game so we can compete on that stage.”
Arendse’s assessment of the difference between the Asian forwards Downs’ defenders encountered in Japan‚ and those at home‚ was revealing.
“I think they take more responsibility and the initiative.”
Bring on UAE next year.
We need to be quicker‚ sharper tactically‚ and more ruthless in the box