‘Sometimes I use him as the fourth assistant coach,’ says coach Mokwena on unsettled Jali

Andile Jali’s future remains uncertain at Mamelodi Sundowns as he nears the end of his contract at the end of the season but coach Rulani Mokwena says he is important for the club.

The 32-year-old Jali has made eight appearances in Sundowns’ 13 matches in the league so far this campaign but the arrival of Bongani Zungu has increased competition in the heart of the midfield.

There is still another midfielder, Rivaldo Coetzee, who working his way back to reckoning after surviving a career-threatening hernia injury sustained in March this year.

With no guaranteed playing time, it is believed the Bafana Bafana international is weighing up his options with former team Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs interested in his services.

“He is big player for us, he is important for the future of this football club. He has incredible leadership qualities, he is very important to have around because of his mentality and insights,” said Mokwena about Jali.

“To tell you the truth, I even use him as a third or fourth assistant coach. He sits on the bench and gives me a lot of information on what he sees. He has incredible experience which is apart from his human qualities which is something that we appreciate and love within the club and that’s from a football perspective.”

Mokwena could not be drawn to comment on the negotiations between Jali and the club over renewal.

“The contractual and financial things are handled within a different department at the football club and I am sure that as soon as there is an update to be given the club will issue that statement.”

Looking back at the 2-0 DStv Premiership win over Orlando Pirates, Mokwena said they used the diamond system they learnt from Germany during the Fifa World Cup in Qatar.

“The game belongs to the players and I must say without getting too much into the tactical details, at the beginning of the season I spoke about this diamond which is so complicated and it needs a little bit of time.

“When it comes out is very difficult to stop triangulations because it’s got so many things. When I watched the World Cup, and it is crazy to talk about a team that exited the tournament so early, but the Germans were so good at playing something that was close to the diamond.

“There are one or two things that we adopted but the speed of our players is improving before the opposition is able to take up the positions and that has to do with the quality of the football players.

“What you see on the pitch, a lot of credit must go to them for their bravery, for their football insight, ability to smell the positions and find the right pass at the right time.”

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