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Three Downs players made their season debuts on Saturday, while others with little playing time were also preferred.
Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rhulani Mokwena says they were trying “new things” by giving some players opportunities to compete for places on the team, when they laid key players to rest and lined up an unknown team in a 1-1 draw. in Golden Arrows.
It was a match in which striker Peter Shalulile struggled in the absence of his attack-mates Themba Zwane and Kermit Erasmus, as other regulars were not included in the team of the day either.
Sundowns goal scorer Mothobi Mvala made his debut for Sundowns, while Sibusiso Vilakazi returned from injury to play for the first time this season.
Ivorian defender Bangaly Soumahoro made a rare appearance in his second game in three seasons when he came to play in the final seven minutes.
Grant Margeman and Promise Mkhuma also surprisingly started the match, as Downs was far from their best and recorded a result that could see second-placed Swallows FC match them in points if the Soweto side beat Black Leopards on Sunday. .
“Mvala did everything possible. He has a lot to offer the team. Scoring a set piece goal on his debut should be encouraging for him, ”Mokwena told the Sundowns media team.
Grant did the best he could. Of course, he may not be in the best position or position that we would like to see him play in the future, but he did his best and that’s what we want. We want a lot of effort, the right mindset and he has the right quality. With better conditions and a little more playing time, we will see the best of Grant Margeman. It has a lot of potential.
“We have a lot of depth in the team. We are lucky to have it. The first thing we talked about at the beginning of the season was that we don’t want too many players.
“And since you don’t want too many players, you find yourself in a situation where everyone has to be part of the team and feel like part of the team making a contribution. You can see that everyone has a chance.
“It’s not just about depth in terms of quantity, but there are many possibilities to try new things and it gives different players the opportunity to make sure they do their best to play and compete for their chance on the team.” .
The break of key players could have been influenced by the Sundowns next game as they now travel to Botswana for the first round of Tuesday’s Caf Champions League, the first leg against the Jwaneng Galaxy.
However, Saturday’s decision to rotate players was not an unusual move by the Sundowns, which has done so in previous seasons to strike a balance between national and continental schedules.
“PSL and the Champions League are completely different projects. On the one hand we have the feeling of being undefeated and sitting as record leaders [but] of course no title has been won at this time, ”added Mokwena.
“That is why we must treat it as an isolated situation and focus on the next two games as isolated in the sense that we must make sure we get a very good result in Botswana and use the experience we have as a team to be able to qualify for the group stage.
“Of course the Galaxy is a good team. We will get images from our analysts and the advance team that went to Botswana.
“We are done with Golden Arrows and we try to make sure we are well prepared for the game. You can see with him [Botswana] national team that there is a resurgence in football. So we have to make sure we are well prepared. “
