Sundowns Going Incognito Mode

With the squad going through what parliamentarians would term a reshuffle, not much is predictable with this season’s Mamelodi Sundowns. Granted we all waited with abated breath when the team showcased their new acquired assets [players], but I’d be confident in assuming that no one anticipated how this jigsaw would have fitted.

At first it proved a bit of a daunting task deciphering which system they were using – A Neo Maema that comfortably formed part of the frontline seemed to be struggling for goals at a quick glance, but upon close inspection you’d notice that he has actually been deployed into the middle . This suggested that Sundowns is playing with 3 in the middle. Once that was established you’d then have to figure out who they would play on the day. The best you can do is betting on Peter Shalulile and Ronwen Williams playing, as for all the other positions, it’s open season . Another mystery in this team seems to be where they play. They have options in terms of their home ground and that could also pose a challenge for their opponents to carry out a plan against them.

Most football lovers are under the impression that teams have figured out how the current Sundowns plays, and if one would focus on the fact that they aren’t as free-scoring as they used to be in the past season, then you’d make a compelling argument. What we could be failing to spot though is that this team possesses one attribute that bares the hallmark of champions – A never-say-die attitude. For the 1st time in a long time they actually play until the last whistle. It’s as though they take the phrase “play to the whistle” literally. Evident to that has been their ability to score goals in optional time as witnessed in 4 of their last 5 matches.

Granted, the team has not hit cruise mode. In fact they have not reached second gear, but the scary part about them is that they set out the challenge to other teams that reads “you can try, but you cannot stop us from scoring”. When Mazola and Joe Crann expressed that Sundowns should be given the league title after the 1st round of matches they came under heavy criticism, but at the rate things are going they should be vindicated.

Lekoko.