PSL title ‘is in our hands’ - Mosimane
The combustible Pitso Mosimane has been replaced by a man who has found inner piece to an extent that even a Zen master would be envious of him.
|||The combustible Pitso Mosimane has been replaced by a man who has found inner piece to an extent that even a Zen master would be envious of him.
Instead of getting riled up by small incidents, as he was during his last days as Bafana Bafana coach and early into his tenure at Mamelodi Sundowns - this ‘new’ Mosimane, you could call him Mosimane 2.0, prefers to look at the positives in any situation.
So it was when Sundowns drove for six hours from Pointe Noire to Dolisie, on a rough road without food that forced them to fuel up on junk food before taking on AC Leopards in the CAF Champions League.
And when they spent two days stuck in Congo, unable to return home because all flights were grounded due to local elections, Mosimane didn’t complain. Instead, he saw that as a bonding exercise and an opportunity to relax. He believes he saw, in that time, what these Brazilians are made of - champions material.
The old Mosimane would have lost his cool if he heard Orlando Pirates coach Eric Tinkler tip Wits to win the Absa Premiership at the expense of Sundowns, even though the Brazilians are four points ahead on the summit with seven games still to play.
Tinkler says the Clever Boys will have the edge because their workload decreased after they were eliminated from the CAF Confederation Cup, while Sundowns are the only South African side left in continental football.
“It’s not in Wits’ hands to win the league,” Mosimane said. “It’s in our hands to lose it. We are in control. When you say that I am not focusing on the Champions League or the Confederation Cup, I will take all my resources to the league - are you in a position to win the league at this point in time?
“At this point in time you are in a position to finish second. Yes, you can fight for the league and you are showing signs that you want the league, but it’s not in your hands. It’s in our hands. That makes us stronger.
“No one can determine our fate, that we are going further in the Champions League so we can’t handle our business in the league. I want to test (my team by going for everything) so that I know next time where we are at.
“Even last season people were saying, Oh, Confederation Cup. I don’t want it. I will focus on the league. Those people never won the league. In fact they won nothing. Zero!
“What makes you think that they will win something this season? They might get nothing. Okay, you put all your eggs in one basket. If your basket falls? You have nothing.”
The Brazilians already have the Telkom Knockout in their cabinet. On Saturday night that they will look to continue in their attempts to retain the Nedbank Cup by getting past first division side Mbombela United at Lucas Moripe Stadium in the last 16.
After that they have league and Champions League commitments.
“All the 15 teams in the PSL would like to be where we are in the league,” Mosimane said. “Would you like to be four points behind or four points ahead? Would you like to be 20 points less than Sundowns or more, because Pirates are 20 points behind Sundowns. 20 points!
“Excuse me. We are in a good position. Why should we complain? We are okay. We are in control of our destiny.” - The Mercury