Coach believes AmaTuks can still be better

“David versus Goliath” is how many might perceive AmaTuks’ upcoming quarterfinal clash in the Nedbank Cup against Mamelodi Sundowns.

Safa has still to decide on the dates the quarterfinal games will be played, but it will be sometime in April and Tuks will play against the Brazilians at their home ground in Hatfield.

Sundowns so far won 14 of the 18 games they played in the Premier League. They top the log with 46 points. This means a 13-point lead on Orlando Pirates, who are second.

AmaTuks has yet to beat Sundowns. Their best result so far was playing to a 1-all draw in 2013. But AmaTuks’ coach, Tlisane Motaung, will keep himself and his players from being fazed by statistics like these.

Since he took over the reins as AmaTuks’ coach, Motaung instilled a culture in which every player realises that nothing is impossible with hard work and dedication.

Frank Mpedi, who has over 100 AmaTuks caps, said this after he and his teammates outplayed Swallows to qualify for the Nedbank Cup quarterfinals.

“We play every match as if it is our last and are getting the desired results. So far, we have beaten two Premier League teams in the Nedbank Cup. Much has to do with the hard work we put in during training. It makes it easier to be at our best when we play,” commented.

From a personal perspective, Mpedi really wanted AmaTuks to beat Swallows as in 2009 they have beaten the students 5-0 in the Nedbank Cup final.

“I did not play that game, but I am now playing. It means AmaTuks’s history is my history. The game I played against Swallows, which ‘hurt’, was in 2022 when they beat us 1-0 to qualify for the Premier League,” he remarked.

For the record, Cape Town Spurs (1-0) is the other Premier League team AmaTuks has beaten. The team is having a dream season. They are the only National First Division team to qualify for the Nedbank Cup quarterfinals.

In the Motsepe Foundation Championships, AmaTuks won 10 of the 21 games they played, drew 8, and only lost three. The last time they lost was in November last year. Currently, they are second on the log, only one point behind Magesi.

According to Motaung. This did not just happen.

“After 2022, we lost ten key players to Premier League teams. It meant most of last year was spent on rebuilding the team. We have also worked hard to fix critical aspects of our game plan. The goal is to be competitive every time we take to the field. We are now at a moment where the players are genuinely gelling. Credit must go to the players. But we must remain humble because we have not yet achieved what we set out to do,” he explained.

Asked how AmaTuks’s strategy has changed from the way they played in the past, Motaung answered by saying little has changed.

“If the situation allows, we go wide and bring crosses. One of our strengths is the speed at which we play. Much emphasis is also put on pressurising our opponents when they have the ball to force them to make mistakes,” the coach concluded.

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