‘People question tactics they don’t know about’: Sundowns coach Mokwena

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena, making a statement that might set tongues wagging, says people often make the mistake of questioning tactics they know nothing about. 

Decisions by coaches are always highly scrutinised by pundits and football followers. Mokwena said you would need to be in his head to fully understand his tactics. 

“I think, especially in South African football or maybe globally, people question tactics they don’t know about,” Mokwena said ahead of Downs' African Football League (AFL) quarterfinal second leg match against Petro Atlético of Angola at Loftus on Tuesday. 

Sundowns enjoy 2-0 lead from the first leg at the Estadio 11 de Novembro in Luanda on Saturday where Marcelo Allende and Thapelo Maseko got a goal apiece. 

“I was reading something that José Mourinho and Pep Guardiola said at their press conferences that sometimes people question tactics but they don’t know what those tactics are. 

“If I ask you guys what were our tactics of the first half against Petro Atlético, you wouldn’t tell me. If I say to you that Petro didn’t press us in the first and the second half, you will disagree with me.” 

Mokwena said Petro didn’t press Sundowns much last weekend but that the Pretoria team did encounter come challenges and tactical issues, which they have been correcting since the first leg. 

“I have footage to show that we had a more aggressive teams pressing us than what we experienced with Petro. We had other issues at Petro in Angola and they were tactical. 

“The players know them but we have people, and maybe even the general public is sometimes being quick to speak on tactics, yet they don’t know what those tactics are. 

“You have to be in my head, you have to know what’s in my mind, what the preparations are from the discussions we had with the tactical team, and you need to know the information I and video analysts give to the players. 

“You have to know the opposition and you have to watch all the games. I watch four to five games of every opponent we play, even when there are two days in between. 

“Sometimes I get the feeling there are people who think they have watched more games of the opponent than I have and that is not true. You have to know what is happening with the opposition, what is happening with the tactics to the able to have an opinion on them.

“There were some tactical adaptations we made at halftime but big compliments to the players because the game of football belongs to them.” 

Petro goalkeeper Hugo Marques, who spent some time with Cape Town City, said they believe they can overturn the two-goal deficit. 

“As you know, this is not the first time I will be playing against Sundowns. We know that they are a big team, but we have our strengths, our power,” he said.

“Unfortunately for us we don’t have as many games as Sundowns have [Petro have only played three games domestically in 2023-24]. 

“But our mentality is to try to score two goals and not concede, The beauty of football is that you’ll never know and we will try to take our chances here in South Africa.”