Former Mamelodi Sundowns star Sibusiso Vilakazi has explained how brotherhood will get the club over the line against MC Alger in the CAF Champions League decider.
Vilakazi, who was part of the Sundowns squad that became African champions in 2016, believes that the game won’t demand talent but togetherness and unity.
The former attacking midfielder stressed that players have no choice but to rely on each other’s support more than ever as the stakes have reached a boiling point for Sundowns as they prepare to welcome MC Alger to Loftus Versfeld Stadium for a do-or-die Champions League Group C finale this Saturday [15:00 CAT].
For the Brazilians, the math is simple: anything less than a victory will see their continental dreams go up in smoke. While there is growing anxiety among the supporters following a string of inconsistent results, Vilakazi remains adamant that the squad has the character to turn the tide and secure progression to the knockout stages.
Masandawana head into this high-pressure encounter on a worrying four-match winless streak in the CAF competition. Perhaps most concerning is the uncharacteristic lack of bite in the final third; having netted just seven times in five group outings while shipping six, the Tshwane giants are currently performing below their usual attacking standards.
SIBUSISO VILAKAZI: THERE IS NO ROOM FOR EGOS
Vilakazi became a consistent feature for Sundowns on the continent, with 28 appearances and eight goals in the CAF Champions League. And while he was ineligible to play in the 2016 final, he made his mark for Sundowns in the CAF Super Cup with a victory over TP Mazembe.
“Right now, they need brotherhood,” Vilakazi said on The Pitchside podcast. “You know the way, brotherhood, when I say brotherhood, you know, if you are given a tickle there, and then I need to be much closer to help him. And I need him also to recover from the tackle.
“So that’s what the team needs right now. It’s the brother. And the true meaning is knowing that I’m your brother, I’m your brother, and I got you. The same way I know that you have my back, you have my back. That’s what they need.”
Vilakazi said the team does not need different egos at this stage, saying that competing egos would only make the situation worse. Instead, he stressed that those egos must fall under one umbrella, adding that moments like these are about bringing everyone together and moving forward as a united group.
“We should be here [at the Chloorkop training ground], taking our shooting, trying to get things, because this is the only game now we are going to approach, especially after this result in Lupopo, that difficult result that we had.
“Then those are the signs that say, what can we do? We should be here on the training field to show that, you know, it’s all or nothing. It is that kind of game,’ Vilakazi concluded.
RELATED STORY: Mokwena’s MC Alger dealt a major blow ahead of ‘normal’ Sundowns tie