Sundowns won’t play well all the time, says Mokwena

If you are a Mamelodi Sundowns fan, you are probably watching the Fifa World Cup and keeping one eye on 30 December, where Masandawana and Orlando Pirates will renew their rivalry in the DStv Premiership.

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The two giants have already rubbed shoulders this season in the MTN8 where the Buccaneers mopped the floor with Downs, beating them 3-0 over two legs in the semifinals.

Masandawana did get sweet revenge, although it was a friendly match in the Carling Black Label Cup, where they thrashed the Sea Robbers 4-0 in the final.

Sundowns, of late, have not been playing particularly well – at least to the standards they’ve set for themselves in recent seasons, and this might continue, according to Downs head coach Rulani Mokwena.

The recently promoted Mokwena said he does not expect the DStv Premiership defending champions to dish out piano-and-shoeshine football week-in-week-out.

“We are playing in segments where you can see that the car is moving but there are moments where the car has a momentary lapse or runs out of petrol. That happens to the best in the world,” said Mokwena.

“Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid coach) once said in a press conference that ‘I don’t ask my team to play very well at the moment, but I ask my team to win’ – you can catch up with the performance, the momentum will come and the confidence will be there, but what is important is that you have to win, particularly with these congested fixtures,” he added.

While Bafana Ba Style may be lacking the sparkling touch, Mokwena understands that the expectations from the Sundowns faithful will not change as they are expected to land a sixth league crown on the spin.

“Big clubs have pressure to win. We are in this business to win trophies.

“Trying to evaluate whether we are successful or not is up to the club and the leadership.”