‘I’d like to have more control over our destiny’: Mokwena as Sundowns battle in Caf

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena admitted he would like his team to have more “control over our own destiny” after three Group A matches in the 2023-24 Caf Champions League left them level on four points with the other three teams.

Sundowns retain the lead on goal difference. However, after a win in their opener against Mauritania’s FC Nouadhibou, a defeat away to TP Mazembe (1-0) and Sunday’s 0-0 draw against Pyramids FC at Loftus Versfeld have left Downs needing big results to ensure they reach the knockout stage.

Mokwena was asked if he recognises the tight group situation of all four teams being on four points as exciting for neutral observers.

“For me no. I’d like to have a bit more control over our own destiny,” he said.

“But, OK, three games for everybody, four points for everybody, let’s keep going match by match and keep trying to get more points.

“We know what the target is. There are three games to go and we are within reach of the targeted number of points.”

Ten points are usually enough to get through a Champions League group stage.

Sundowns will need wins from their games against Pyramids in Cairo (next Tuesday), away against Nouadhibou (weekend of February 23) and at home against TP Mazembe (weekend of March 1) to reach that goal.

Mokwena was asked if his team possesses the surprise element or individual brilliance sometimes needed to break deadlocks such as Sunday’s. He resisted putting the focus on his players and suggested the punishing schedule for a team that is competing in six competitions in 2023-24 — including winning the inaugural African Football League (AFL) last month — is taking a toll.

“I don’t want to go in that direction because if I go in that direction ... I think it’s my job to make sure the players understand how important it is to qualify,” he said.

“When I don’t get that desire — and that is not necessarily about the performance of the players, it’s a bit about the volume of games we are playing — and if the message doesn’t go through to the players I’ve got to say, ‘Did I deliver it properly?’

“That’s the starting point — with myself. I think maybe I didn’t deliver the message well enough for the players to understand how important it was to win today’s game.

“But OK, it is what it is and we’ve got to try to recover. We’ve got a very important game midweek and then we’ve got to prepare for the return fixture [against Pyramids], and it’s going to be very difficult again.”

DStv Premiership leaders Downs meet Cape Town Spurs at Loftus on Wednesday before their departure for Egypt. 

Mokwena was asked if he believes his team have some form of “continental hangover” from winning the AFL playing against a higher standard of opposition than in the Champions League group stage.

“I don’t think we’re suffering from that. We’ve got so many things going on at the moment. I don’t want to talk too much about those because the headline will be, ‘Rulani complains or makes excuses’.

“But we have to soldier on. The universe has no budget for pity parties. But definitely a hangover is not one of the reasons for our performances at the moment, no.”