SURPRISE! ZWANE ARRIVES
With a little help from mentor Moriri, Themba is ditching his super sub tag
IN THE eyes of mortals, seconds pass within a blink of an eye but demigods can manipulate time to make seconds feel like a lifetime. That skill, borrowed from a Mamelodi Sundowns’ demigod Surprise Moriri, has helped Themba Zwane dig himself out of the role he was boxed into at the club. Zwane had pigeonholed himself into the role of a super sub, coming on in the second half to change the match for the Brazilians. But he struggled to produce that game-winning performance when he started. Keagan Dolly’s departure to French side Montpellier created an opening that Zwane has filled. “When you aren’t playing, you need to be positive,” Zwane said. “You need to work hard and be professional so that when your chance comes, you are ready. That’s what I did. I was positive. I was doing extra work. I talked with the coach (Pitso Mosimane) and he told me that I needed to score goals. He said it doesn’t matter that you are a winger. But you must get into the box and score goals.” Zwane was on the score sheet in the club’s first two matches of the year. In the 1-0 win over Bloemfontein Celtic, Zwane came on just after the hour mark to score the only goal. He made it two goals in two games against Orlando Pirates’ in the 6-0 drubbing. Both those goals were scored because of Zwane’s composure. Against Celtic he had to beat two defenders and the goalkeeper, who were rushing him. Against Pirates, the goal was tougher – Zwane fell on top of the ball, picked himself up, sold goalkeeper Jackson Mabokgwane a dummy, before scoring the opening goal.
“When you watch players like Surprise Moriri, you learn a lot. He told me that whenever you enter the box, you must relax and take your time because if you have the right touch everything else will take care of itself. He told me that when you are composed, you can make time stand still and see space that other people don’t see.”
Zwane continued: “Surprise has played a big role in shaping me to be the player that I am. He used to call me even when I was still at (Mpumalanga Black) Aces. He would tell me what I was doing right and what I was doing wrong so that I improve. I appreciate his help a lot. The biggest lesson he taught me is that I must not get comfortable. Just because I have had a couple of good games doesn’t mean that I have arrived. He said that if people can count the number of good games you have had, then you are doing something wrong. Good performances should be second nature, not flashes.”
The 27-year-old midfielder has started every match after the Celtic win, including Sundowns’ Caf Super Cup victory over African giants TP Mazembe. There were no angry fans to spoil that party at Loftus Versfeld, a week after Orlando Pirates fans stormed the field. It was the second time that Zwane and his teammates had to run off the field away from angry supporters. The first time was in Algeria against ES Setif in the Caf Champions League. The Algerians couldn’t stomach seeing the Brazilians embarrass their club in their own backyard.
“What happened at Loftus was scarier because in Algeria they threw stuff but they weren’t inside the pitch. It was intense because anything could have happened. You could have been stabbed and they wouldn’t know who did it because there were so many people. We were still celebrating Percy Tau’s goal and when we turned around, we saw people running to the pitch. We didn’t know what was happening but just ran.”
The incident in Algeria toughened Sundowns. They went on to win the Champions League after that. Next month the Brazilians will start the campaign to retain that trophy against Uganda’s Kampala Capital City Authority. But before that, they have to catch up in the Absa Premiership. Tonight they visit Platinum Stars in Phokeng.
“It’s tough at Sundowns,” Zwane said. “Even when you are sitting at home, you think that if you relax you will lose your place. And when you lose your position, it’s difficult to come back because there is a lot of quality. You need to push yourself every time. That’s what drives us and pushed us to be this successful.” Themba Zwane of Mamelodi Sundowns.