Sundowns coach wary of settled Arrows
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane is expecting a tricky encounter when they meet Golden Arrows tonight in an Absa Premiership match at the Princess Magogo Stadium.
Golden Arrows coach Clinton Larsen with Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
The Brazilians are heavy favourites, given their quality and pedigree, while the sides have already met this season in the MTN8 quarterfinal, with Downs winning 2-0.
Mosimane, however, seems to be concerned about Larsen’s side, as he has a settled team, in contrast to Mosimane’s relatively newly-assembled side, particularly in attack. He is still trying out new combinations, while the likes of Themba Zwane and Gaston Sirino are out injured, and goalkeeper Denis Onyango still in Uganda because of a family commitment.
“They gave us a hard time in the MTN8 quarterfinals. We have to respect them – they have great pace. They have a lot of experienced players and they have been together for a long time as a group. They have a great understanding and they may make life difficult for us,” said Mosimane.
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“Denis remains doubtful, I don’t know if he is going to be back. We have to give him the space because he is very important to us and we should support him. As for Themba, if he can kick the ball at training it would be nice to add him to the squad,” Mosimane added.
In an unusual gesture, Mosimane applauded referee Victor Gomes, who handled their 3-3 draw against AmaZulu on Sunday at the King Zwelithini Stadium.
“I was happy with the referee. He did well to spot Toni Silva when he went down against the goalkeeper and in my opinion it was not a penalty. We need to congratulate referees even when we don’t win. The one in front of me (linesman) needs a little bit of work.
“He needs to watch what Zakhele Siwela is doing. He must keep up with the line. But he was not that bad and we need to allow referees to make mistakes and unfortunately when referees make mistakes, it is at the expense of the teams,” he added.
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