Pitso’s feeling Down
MOSIMANE: IT’S DIFFICULT TO MOTIVATE THEM, I ALSO NEED TO BE MOTIVATED
Brazilians in the middle of horrendous run at home.
“The players are shattered, they are finished.” A statement like this one from Pitso Mosimane can only tell you one thing: the mood is sombre at Chloorkop.
Mamelodi Sundowns are enduring a horrible run of form in their own backyard in the league so far this season, as they remain pointless from their three games there. Downs first lost to Polokwane City, then to Kaizer Chiefs, and most recently they fell to a shock 2-1 defeat to AmaZulu on Saturday.
“It is a tough time for Sundowns and when times are like this, it reveals too many things and we need to calm down and show leadership and accept it. It is really tough. We just have to keep playing, we don’t have an alternative,” said Mosimane.
“I need to calm things down and I need to talk to the players. You’ve got to bring them back mentally, there is nothing else I can do. It is difficult to motivate them, I also need to be motivated.
“It is very difficult and it sounds like I am making excuses because we lost. But that’s it, it is part of football. Who is happy? The opposition are happy, they have won, they can say whatever they want to say and gloat about tactics,” he added.
Meanwhile, Usuthu mentor Cavin Johnson says his first task is to make sure that his players don’t get carried away and they must forget that they defeated the African champions as soon as possible.
“We need to go home and then get the players to keep their feet on the ground, and make them know that the next game will also be difficult. Sundowns have a good team and they have some of the best players in the country. We had to grind out the result. It is always a major climb when you get wins like these, and now we have set the bar very high, but it is water under the bridge.”
Both AmaZulu and Sundowns are away from home in last-16 Telkom Knockout action this weekend, with Usuthu at Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday albeit that the game is being played in AmaZulu’s home province, at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. Sundowns face Chippa United in Mdantsane a day later.