Mamelodi Sundowns Maintain Top Spot in Betway Premiership
With the Betway Premiership on a break until the end of November, teams and players are expected to take a well-deserved rest and reset. However, in the world of professional football, personal comfort often takes a backseat, and there is still a lot at stake for some clubs.
For Mamelodi Sundowns fans, the news is encouraging as their team continues to lead the league table. The Brazilians secured a win over TS Galaxy in midweek action, maintaining a three-point lead at the top of the Betway Premiership ahead of Orlando Pirates, despite having played one more game than the Soweto giants.
Coach Manoel Cardoso emphasized the importance of the victory while acknowledging the quality of TS Galaxy.
“It’s important to say that it was a very important victory against a team that is well-organised,” he said.
“They have very difficult players to play against in terms of their speed in their transition; they have been creating problems for almost all the teams they play against.
“They are coached by someone that knows what they are doing.
“This is the third time I am playing against them, and they have been hard to beat.
“We made a lot of technical changes on the pitch to try and create spaces and break their defensive line, which sometimes was four or six players, but we managed to find a way to score.”
Cardoso also admitted that he remains unsatisfied with the points tally.
“I am not happy with the points we have currently, but that is something that comes from the beginning of the season. Unfortunately, we lost points in matches that we should have won,” he said.
“But I also understood from the beginning of the season, and it’s something I do not want to go back to because people will say the coach always has excuses.
“Our start to the season was not normal due to the Club World Cup. …
“What we want is to be strong and have an attitude that no one can break. We need to accumulate points because we lost them where we shouldn’t have.”
Richards Bay Aims for Cup Upset
Meanwhile, there are teams who still have to keep playing, and Richards Bay coach Ronnie Gabriel believes his side can inspire another Carling Knockout Cup upset when they face Pirates at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.
“Yeah, while planning for this game here, we always tap into that type of energy, that type of experience,” Gabriel said.
“We go back to beating Pirates in the same fixture, and this year we want to do the same thing. The belief is there and the group is buying into it.”
Richards Bay blends experienced players like Gabadhino Mhango and Knox Mutizwa with younger, energetic players.
“We have players like Mhango and Mutizwa here who have bundles of experience, so we’ll tap into that and blend that with the youngsters and their energy ahead of Saturday,” Gabriel said. “That mix gives us balance and keeps everyone sharp and hungry.”
Broos Hopes Pirates Don’t Progress
And in what seems like an odd sentiment for a South African national coach, Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has expressed that he would welcome a Pirates elimination, as nine of their players are named in his squad for the friendly against Zambia next week.
“Last AFCON was even worse, they played on the 31st of December and we started preparations on the 4th of January or something like that,” Broos said.
“We don’t have much collaboration from PSL to stop all those things a little bit earlier.
“I asked now to stop the competition (Carling KO) on the 4th of December but no, they have to play that final on the 6th. So, I am very happy. I’m sorry to say this, but I am happy that Sundowns are out and that Chiefs are out. I hope maybe that Pirates can be out so the guys can have a bit of rest.”
So Broos’s seemingly barbed statement is out of concern for the men.
Stellenbosch Uses Break to Regroup
Lower down the ladder, Stellenbosch FC, struggling at the foot of the log with nine points from 12 matches, will use the international break to reflect and recover.
“I’ve been around long enough, and I know deep in my heart that this team does not belong where we are, but we have to accept it first of all,” coach Steve Barker said.
“That’s our responsibility because we’ve got ourselves into this situation. Therefore, it’s our responsibility, starting with me, and then everyone throughout the club – the team, the players – to find ways to be the Stellenbosch we are known to be.
“We are fighters, and we will continue to fight. Hopefully, before the turn of the year, we will have some positive results, and then we can reassess where we are and what we need to do after the long break in January.”
Barker welcomed the pause, noting the opportunity to reflect and refresh before returning to league action.