Jomo Sono, the owner and coach of Jomo Cosmos, has explained why he has had to change how the team plays in the ABC Motsepe League.
Cosmos were relegated to the third tier of South African football at the end of the 2021/22 season, and Sono says that he has had to adapt his team’s playing style to the lower level of competition.
“The ABC Motsepe League is very different to the Motsepe Foundation Championship,” Sono told FARPost.
“The Motsepe Foundation Championship is slower. Here, it’s a bit quicker. “That’s why Dondol Stars was giving PSL [DStv Premiership] teams problems [in the Nedbank Cup] because there’s no space here.
“They’re super fit. They run the whole day. They’re ambitious. They want to see themselves up there. When they play the big teams, they rise to the occasion.”
On Wednesday, Cosmos played a goalless draw with M-Tigers, who are Mamelodi Sundowns’ feeder side. It was the first time they dropped points after winning their opening three games of the season.
They sit at the apex of the table, just two points ahead of Wits University FC, who have won two and drawn twice.
On Saturday, they beat Mike-1 Stars 3-2 in a Nedbank Cup preliminary round clash at the Muckleneck Grounds in Mamelodi.
Cosmos’s game is centred on moving the ball quickly and getting it to the forward players without necessarily building from the back.
WHY JOMO SONO HAS CHANGED COSMOS’S PLAYING STYLE
Sono says that the change in playing style is working and suitable for the third tier. “We’re doing it well, the way we play because we’re giving teams problems. In this league, there’s no need to build up.
“You’re wasting your time trying to build from the back. Just go forward because they close you down quickly.
“They’re too quick, there’s no space, there’s no room. They squeeze you.” He believes his team will be tough to beat when they play at home at the Duduza Stadium.
“To be honest, we are expecting to drop points. In the game of football, you know, but it’s fine if we get points away like this. As long as we get points at home, it’ll be difficult to beat us. This team is not easy to play against. It’s a very good team.”
Jomo Cosmos are currently top of the ABC Motsepe League Southern Division as they fight to win promotion back to the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
RELATED STORY: ‘I was shocked to see a player like that’ : Jomo Sono on Bafana star
