I feel blessed

“He will tell it straight to my face.” “If I hadn’t crossed paths with them, I wouldn’t be in this situation.”

Whilemany might not have given him a chance to make it at Mamelodi Sundowns when he crossed over from Bloemfontein Celtic at the beginning of the 2016/17 season, Thapelo Morena is slowly establishing himself as ‘part of the furniture’ in Pitso Mosimane’s starting line-up, while endearing himself to the club’s fans. Talk about hitting two birds with one stone! Today, the speedy player is a proud owner of CAF Champions League, CAF Super Cup and domestic league medals, a dream for most footballers even more senior to him. In this interview with Soccer Laduma’s Celine Abrahams, made possible by his sponsor Puma, the 25-year-old talks about his rise and rise in Tshwane, competing on different fronts and THAT open letter.

Celine Abrahams: Thapelo, congratulations on the CAF Champions Leagu victory against ASEC Mimosas. Also thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat to the Soccer Laduma readers. As a Puma-sponsored player, what are your thoughts on the new set of boots that have been released?

Thapelo Morena:

Puma and I have a very good relationship. I always enjoy the boots that the brand comes out with. Every year they try to improve, make life easier for us as their athletes and make us feel as comfortable as possible so that we can do our jobs on the field, which is the most important thing. The boots are light and that is good for me because I am a speedy player and I need a type of boot that won’t hold me back. The Puma One is my favourite to wear!

CA: Great! Moving on to matters on the field, Mamelodi Sundowns have played 27 matches in all competitions, including on the African continent, so far this season. How are you all managing what must be such a hectic schedule?

TM:

It’s been a very difficult journey for us because we need to travel and then come back home and still make sure that we give our best to stay in contention for the league. It is a hectic schedule for us but, all in all, I think our technical team is doing pretty well in managing us as players. It’s just that, at some point, we should have taken an advantage. For example, in the league, we have games in hand and if you look at the one we played against AmaZulu, it was a game from which we needed to get the three points, but we didn’t. So it is stressful because, yes, we have those games in hand and if we had won that game, we would have been in a better position compared to the other league contenders. But there’s nothing we can do to change that result. We just have to keep pushing and see what we can do in the remaining games.

CA: After that loss, coach Pitso Mosimane pointed out the stress put on the team to constantly win and fatigue setting in. Is participation in different competitions at the same time starting to weigh down on the players?

TM:

Hmmm, I wouldn’t say so because we have depth in our team and any player can come in and do the job. I think it’s all about how we regenerate, which is the most important thing for a player. If you do that well, then it will be something that you will cherish afterwards because, at the end of the day, you will see that you can go out onto the field and perform to your level best. I’m not saying we don’t get tired from having to face all of these challenges, but we learn how to manage it. Whether it is getting enough rest or getting involved in programs to improve ourselves, it is all about how we manage ourselves and, like I pointed out earlier, our technical team has that under control. CA: Don’t you think losing out on the MTN8, Telkom Knockout and Nedbank Cup lends credence to that school of thought, especially for a big side like Downs that is expected to win every competition it is involved in? TM: I think, for us, it wasn’t meant to be and it now gives us time to focus on doing well in both the league and the CAF Champions League. We still have two trophies to fight for, so not all is lost and hopefully we can get something for the season. We will do our level best and everything will work itself out. For now, it is important to take each game as it comes and see what the results will be. Yes, it would have been a bonus for us to win one of those cups, but it didn’t happen and we have moved on because we have games to play. We can’t dwell on the past because we can’t change it. CA: You are making your presence felt in this star-studded Sundowns team. Do you think you’ve repaid the technical staff for their faith in you in the 20 appearances you’ve made so far this season? TM:

I think I’ve been doing well, but I know that I can do better. I just have to work very hard and work on the most important things, which is to help my team by creating goals and defending well. Also, I’d like to thank our technical team for always giving me a chance to play my part in the team. I feel blessed to be part of this club. They have helped me to be the player that I am now. If I hadn’t crossed paths with them, I wouldn’t be in this situation that I find myself in now and or have won such precious titles. They have made life better for me. But there is still a long way to go for me. There are things that I need to work on. As a player, you always need to sit back and analyse yourself and that is what we are encouraged to do here all the time. You need to be able to improve yourself because there are others waiting on the sideline and they are fighting as well. Obviously, we will never be perfect but, as an individual, you need to work hard because we all have goals that we want to achieve both personally and as a team. It is no secret that I have dreams of one day playing in Europe, but that is all in God’s hands. I will have to deliver and wait for the right moment and for my time to come. With God’s grace, that will all happen.

CA: On Wednesday, you have yet another massive game against Black Leopards. Three points from this one would see you move into second spot on the log standings, with a game in hand.

TM:

Like I said earlier, it is important for us to collect as many points as possible because this is one of the remaining titles that we are fighting for. We know that our opponents are not an easy team to face and we have to go out there and make sure that we play our normal game. We have to focus on ourselves and make sure that we keep being positive. As long as we manage ourselves well and make sure that we stick to our plans, things will work out. Last season, we found ourselves in the same situation and then we went on to win the league. We all must remember that the league is a marathon and there are still games to be played and, for us, our games in hand can help us. Not that I am counting those points already because we still have to play for them, but at least we still have a good chance to go on and win the title as much as both (Bidvest) Wits and (Orlando) Pirates do.

CA: Before letting you go, we gotta ask you about the now infamous open letter written by your former teammate Toni Silva, for the attention of coach Pitso Mosimane. That was a letter-and-a-half, Thapelo.

TM:

You know, one thing about coach Pitso… and this is something I like… he knows the abilities of his players and if, for example, I don’t give my best, he will tell it straight to my face and if I have done well, he will do the same thing. That’s how he is. As players, we are all different from each other and so we take things differently. Some might be able take that talk and make the changes and some might feel hurt or whatever the case might be. I think some feel a bit down and all that, but at the end of the day, it is about how you receive it and how you communicate towards the situation. As for the letter, err… I don’t really want to get involved in that (chuckles) – sorry about that. I don’t know what really happened between the two of them and that is why I honestly

can’t speak about it. It is a touchy subject…

CA: We understand. But could you smell some bad blood between coach and player during Silva’s stint at the club?

TM:

Hmmm, no, I wouldn’t say so. He (Toni) expressed how he felt. Personally, I don’t really know how to feel about it because I’m in a situation where I am focusing on LETTERS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 views regarding this saga – Toni is a hater, finish and klaar. See, Toni came into the PSL thinking this is one of those Mickey Mouse leagues and that this was the best place to make a quick buck without breaking a sweat. How wrong he was. Pitso gave him ample opportunity, but this Silva character failed. Like it or not, Mamelodi Sundowns are one of the biggest teams in Africa, up there with your Man United, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. They buy quality players to compete with the best in the world of football. He had the nerve to drag George Lebese into his petty fight, forgetting that the same Lebese was out in the cold when Sundowns bought him. Hater, prove us wrong in Egypt. Terah Maqepula, Mt Fletcher DOWNS DANCE, BUCS BLUNT As much as I am an ardent Mamelodi Sundowns supporter, I partly concur with some of the ‘facts’ my football and the team because that is my duty and that’s what I do when I go to training. Everything else is out of my hands. We are good, the coach and I. We understand each other and that’s about it.

CA: Once again, thank you for your time, Thapelo, and good luck in your pursuit of Masandawana’s ninth league title.

TM: Thank you very much. ❐ raised by Toni Siva in his vitriolic attack on Pitso Mosimane. The coach currently wields enormous power - conferred on him by the club’s president, Patrice Motsepe) - at Sundowns than any other coach who preceded him. To a large extent, he continuously abuses this unlimited power to the detriment of players as well and, if not curtailed, he will hamper the team’s progress in future. I fully support the club’s decision to release Silva as he was not good enough to be a Sundowns player, but equally so, the club has to take responsibility for signing serial underperformers such as Jeremy Brockie, Aubrey Ngoma, Oupa Manyisa, etc. Thabo Mabetoa, Pretoria Congratulations to Mamelodi Sundowns and to Orlando Pirates for representing us well over the weekend. Every point counts and I wish these two teams well in the remaining games in the CAF Champions League. Amos Tshukudu, Ga Maria