Sundowns coaches not happy with opposition’s tactics
CO-COACHES Manqoba Mngqithi and Rhulani Mokwena are becoming increasingly frustrated by the time-wasting antics of opponents at a time when Mamelodi Sundowns are battling to win matches.
Masandawana have been made to look rather ordinary in their last three Premiership matches, and their coaching staff feel time-wasting has contributed to the team’s lacklustre performances.
Last week, the Chloorkop-based side won 2-1 against Golden Arrows, but only managed the win because of an own goal.
A few days earlier, Sundowns won 1-0 against lowly Chippa United, thanks to a goal in injury-time. In their previous Premiership clash, cross-town rivals SuperSport United came within a whisker of whitewashing Sundowns, but an injury-time goal brought a measure of respect to the 2-1 score-line.
Apart from time-wasting, opponents also used spoiling tactics to stifle the defending champions.
“The biggest challenge we have now in our games is that we are responsible for the intensity of the game,” said Mokwena.
“Those games are very difficult when only one of the two teams is responsible for the tempo. In the last three or even four matches, teams came to disrupt, and then it becomes a bit difficult to have a football match.
“Because of that, it looks like Sundowns are not playing well, but the reality is Sundowns are the only ones trying to have a football match. With things like stoppages, time-wasting, fouls, throw-ins, goalkicks and taking too long to restart, you have breaks to the momentum of the games. And then it is not as flowing on the eye as it should be.”
Mngqithi and Mokwena have not remembered that Sundowns have been past masters at time-wasting. Two seasons ago, they were leading 2-1 against Bloemfontein Celtic and were awarded a corner in the dying minutes.
The Brazilians decided to run down the clock, and three players – Gaston Sirino, Hlompho Kekana and Sibusiso Vilakazi – each took turns placing the ball before the corner was finally taken.
All three players were booked in the space of two minutes, and it wiped out any chance of Celtic trying to score an equaliser.
Mngqithi has been scathing in his comments about time-wasting in matches, and he felt it reached an all-time high in the match against Chippa. “I don’t know whether we can see what is happening in the PSL right now. Time-wasting is playing a big role if you check the average on the time we are playing,” said Mngqithi. “We are averaging around 43 minutes out of 90 minutes where the ball is in play. That, for me, is a cause for concern, because our officials seem not to be
doing anything about it.
“The truth is if you look at the stoppage times we had with the Chippa goalkeeper’s (Lloyd Kazapua) injuries and all that, then officials only put four minutes for added time with all the substitutions that took place in the second half. “For me, this is out of order. If this thing of time-wasting in the PSL is not addressed, it is going to kill our game.”
The Sundowns coaches received some support from TS Galaxy’s German mentor Sead Ramovic over the weekend after he complained bitterly about time-wasting in his side’s 2-0 defeat at Orlando Stadium.
He said he almost fell off his chair when the match officials added only three minutes in the end. “I think the supporters saw a good game, but one issue that I didn’t like was time-wasting,” said Ramovic. “I think this should be better, and the referees should not let it be like it was.
“And then the joke, in the end, was that only three minutes were added as the extra time – I couldn’t believe it.”