Downs coach Mokwena on the impact of Mbule and Modiba as they prepare to take on Wydad

Sipho Mbule and Aubrey Modida have given scintillating performances over the past few matches in the Champions League to leave coach Rulani Mokwena gushing with admiration. 

They are once again expected to play an important role in the Sundowns midfield when the Brazilians host Wydad Casablanca in their all-important Champions League semifinal second leg at Loftus on Saturday. 

The match is tied 0-0 after the first leg in Casablanca last weekend and Mokwena will look to the likes of Mbule and Modiba to rise to the occasion and unlock the Wydad defence. 

“With regards to Sipho Mbule, I am more than pleased. I have taken it a little bit as my side project and I invest a lot of time there, but I guess I invest a lot of time in a lot of my players,” said Mokwwena when asked about the influence of Mbule in recent matches. 

Mokwena was also full of praise for Modiba whom he credits for helping Sundowns play better. 

“Modiba was a little bit unfair on himself when he said he’s had some good and bad moments. In the bad moments he knows that he’s got a coach that will identify and discuss those bad moments. 

“And he will try to take the bad moments as an arsenal to improve. He’s had good moments and he is correct that even in the good moments he has a coach, teammates, technical team that will support him. 

“What he hasn’t said is that he’s had extraordinary moments and I can count how many times Aubrey Modiba has helped us. Not just create chances but create assists and the biggest thing that Modiba gives us is that he makes our play better. 

“We are able to do certain things that we are not able to do when Modiba is on the pitch and that’s incredible sign of his ability and that also speaks to his intelligence.” 

Modiba had an opportunity to wax lyrical about Mokwena who changed him into an unusual inverted left-sided fullback. 

“Coach Rulani always says we must trust the process. When we started preseason in Rustenburg the coach told us this is how we are going to play.  

“We knew why he wanted us to play in that way because there is always a purpose. When we started I didn’t understand the role (of the inverted fullback) that much. Sometimes I didn’t do what he wanted me to do. 

“He kept on reminding and motivating me because he knew what he wanted out of the team and we started understanding one another. Obviously there are going to be mistakes, people are going to criticise, but for me, I didn’t focus too much on the criticism.  

“I have been playing in the PSL for a while now and we knew this kind of things will happen. People will always say things and if you dwell on them they will have impact on you.” 

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