Downs battling with ‘best team’ label
PITSO Mosimane knows where the Caf Champions League will go this year if Mamelodi Sundowns continue to play as they did in their goalless draw with Saint George on Saturday – not back to Chloorkop.
“This performance will not win you the Champions League. I think that we have forgotten that we are the defending champions‚” Mosimane said.
Jingles has to remind his team they would be the Kings of Africa if they became only the third team‚ after Al-Ahly and TP Mazembe‚ to retain this coveted trophy.
So far, even the people who have watched Sundowns in the Champions League would be forgiven for assuming this is not the best team on the continent.
The Brazilians have struggled to stamp their authority‚ scrapping past Kampala Capital City Authority to get to the group stage and being held by the Ethiopian side in their own back yard.
The different this year is that they start this campaign with all eyes on them.
They have struggled to get over that attention‚ looking very different from the all-conquering team of last year.
That team played with a lot of freedom. They were not expected to win a group stage of the tournament they got into after the club that qualified ahead of them‚ AS Vita‚ were kicked out for fielding a suspended player.
Mosimane told his players in that campaign to enjoy themselves. They ended up conquering the continent.
“Maybe the teams know us now,” Mosimane said.