Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena has identified several Kaizer Chiefs players who he believes have contributed to the team’s improved performance.
Mokwena recently addressed the media at the PSL headquarters in Johannesburg to share his thoughts on the Chiefs players ahead of the MTN8 semifinal clash.
The much-anticipated first-leg showdown between Sundowns and Chiefs is set to be staged at this Saturday, September 2, at the iconic FNB Stadium. Kickoff is at 15:00.
The two sides have already met in the DStv Premiership, and the Tshwane giants continued with their dominance as they claimed the three points by walking away as 2-1 winners.
Heading into the cup game, both sides are in high spirits, aiming to keep up with the winning ways. Sundowns are on a seven-match winning streak in all competitions. As for the Soweto giants, they’ve won back-to-back league matches.
RULANI MOKWENA NAMES KAIZER CHIEFS GAME CHANGERS
The Soweto-born tactician picked Edson Castillo, Yusuf Maart, Brandon Petersen, Mduduzi Mdantsane and Pule Mmodi as the players who have rose to the occasion to help the team improve performance-wise.
“In relation to Chiefs, I think they’ve made incredible progress. I’ve got a few games to watch, but fortunately, I have watched three matches now,” said Mokwena.
“We revisited our match against them. There does look to be a repetition; some of the processes form out of possession. They look to be a little bit more stronger with actions without the ball.
“You can see with the stability, the profile of their midfield, especially with [Edson] Castillo and [Yusuf] Maart. Brandon Petersen gives them a very good foundation to build their defensive structural forms.
“Pule Mmodi gives a different dimension [in attack] with Mduduzi [Mdantsane] very experienced and very good in between the lines. Very different profile when they played against us with [Siyethemba] Sithebe, for example, as the midfield three.”
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