Work-rest balance key
ADISAPPOINTED Pitso Mosimane vowed to fetch the league trophy that Mamelodi Sundowns lost to Bidvest Wits last season. Jingles quipped that it was good that Milpark is by the freeway, which makes it quickly accessible from Chloorkop.
Mosimane honoured that promise on Saturday by leading the Brazilians to a record eighth league title in the Premier Soccer League era. Sundowns were crushed at losing the league in the last five matches as they ran out of steam.
Playing non-stop since 2016 finally caught up with them and they ran out of legs towards the end. Wits pounced to become South African champions for the first time in the club’s history in almost a century.
The Brazilians went back to the drawing board and prioritised giving their players a rest by carefully balancing their workload from their hectic schedule.
Mosimane rested key players in crucial matches, from captain Hlompho Kekana to Themba Zwane, Sibusiso Vilakazi and Tiyani Mabunda.
The aim was to ensure they were fresh for the final stretch where Sundowns aimed to strongly pull away from the chasing pack.
They did that, and that’s why they won the league with a game to spare.
WHAT makes it more remarkable is that Sundowns have managed to be competitive in the domestic scene as well as in the continent, something most South African teams struggle with. SuperSport United and Orlando Pirates can attest to that.
Sundowns were able to avoid that, thanks to their thorough planning as well as giving the fitness trainer Kabelo Rangoaga full reign in managing the players physically. Mosimane boasts that Sundowns rest more than any other team.
While the club rests the players’ bodies, they keep their minds active by giving them “homework” to dissect the players they will come up against, to analyse how they will beat them and what they need to do to ensure they do better than they did in their last game.
That work ethic, proper planning and giving department heads in the technical team free rein to do their job under the leadership of Mosimane is what has helped Sundowns be this successful.