Pitso talks Champions League ahead of TKO clash against AmaZulu
Pitso Mosimane has spoken of the unique stresses of being with Mamelodi Sundowns, a part of which in 2019 means the whole squad are likely to spend Christmas in, or on their way to Algeria.
Pitso Mosimane, head coach of Mamelodi Sundowns (Photo by Philip Maeta/Gallo Images)
The coach pointed out at this week’s press conference, ahead of today’s Telkom Knockout last-16 meeting with AmaZulu, that no club in South Africa has a schedule like the one that faces Masandawana.
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This has been the case for several years, and is almost certainly a leading factor in why Sundowns have not won a domestic cup competition since 2015.
Mosimane’s side are scheduled to play 12 matches before the end of the year, and that does not take into account later rounds of the TKO, or the Absa Premiership games they will have to make up next year because of their participation in the Champions League group stages.
Given that they are playing USM Alger away on December 27, Sundowns will not even get a Christmas break.
“In football there is nothing like working smart, you just work hard. If you are a head coach at a PSL team your social life is zero, you lose friends and family members. It looks selfish but if you want to do work that is your life,” said Mosimane.
“Our programme is not the same as the other 15 PSL (Premiership) teams. We are expected to win the Champions League, we are expected to win the league. You can’t talk about when you win the league (in the past), you must win it this year.
“If you don’t want the heat, don’t be in the kitchen,” the Sundowns coach did add.
“If you don’t want to sleep at 3am … try and find a club where you can sleep at 10pm! On December 27 we must play USM in Algeria.
“If you count the days until the 27th, you are in transit with the boys on the 25th. We are a different club, it interferes with families, most of our people are Christian, the programme doesn’t care, you just have to go and play, so you adjust.”
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