Although his men have gone for an impressive 31-match unbeaten run, Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena has highlighted how the DStv Premiership standard has gone a notch above.
This is also despite Sundowns getting off to a powerful start in the new season, winning their opening seven games.
And with their 1-0 win over Orlando Pirates in their most recent game on Wednesday evening at a sold-out Orlando Stadium, Sundowns have opened up a seven-point gap between themselves and second-placed Golden Arrows.
The Brazilians are truly in a league of their own and based on the early signs of the 2023/23 season, Mokwena’s men are poised to win their eighth consecutive Premiership crown.
Teams keen to topple Sundowns in the league; Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs, and SuperSport United have endured a lukewarm start to the season and are already playing catch-up.
However, Mokwena argued that the DStv Premiership is competitive and the standard is getting better and tougher as teams have improved their squads and tactical acumen, making it difficult to win games.
In addition, the Soweto-born coach believes the credit needs to go to his players for making football and winning look so easy through their hard work behind the scenes.
THE DSTV PREMIERSHIP IS COMPETITIVE, SAYS RULANI MOKWENA
“I think the Premiership is very competitive,” said Mokwena after Sundowns edged Pirates 1-0, thanks to a goal by Lucas Ribeiro.
“If you see the results. I mean every single day, you’ve got surprises, and it is not easy to win games in the league. That’s why I see this team [Sundowns] is not given the credit that it deserves because to have this mentality and consistency is not easy. And also always trying to improve our game the way we play.
“We changed quite a lot of things, and we try to be a little bit more unpredictable this season, but we’ve been asked a lot of very different questions by different teams.
“There are teams that have come very aggressively at us with high pressure, and we’ve had to find solutions by not moving too far away from our ideas about the game; even under the most pressure.
“There are teams that have sat in and defended low. Teams that have done a little bit of both and sometimes in phases. And there are teams that have been extremely physical against us, extremely,” added Mokwena.
Under Mokwena’s sole leadership since October last year, the Brazilians are unbeaten in the league. And they are yet to drop points this season. But Rulani Mokwena said it is still early days to talk about the title.
‘CREDIT NEEDS TO GO TO THE PLAYERS’
“I was not even aware that we are on 21 points. I go game by game. It is pointless to count points, excuse the pun, at this time of the season because no league has ever been won at this point in the season,” he declared.
“And football being so unpredictable, so much more can happen so we just have to go game by game and keep focused. The credit needs to go to the players for big improvements, not only in the performance. But also in the results and also still with an understanding that we can do better and win more games.”
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