Mamelodi Sundowns co head coach Rulani Mokwena has warned that their opponent on Monday, Chippa United, can be a very difficult side to play against.
The two teams meet in the first DStv Premiership game of 2022, just two days after they had mixed results in the Nedbank Cup, with Sundowns advancing, while Chippa were bundled out by AmaTuks.
Mokwena says Chippa are a very physical team, with the influence of former coach Gavin Hunt still strong in the team. But he adds that Kurt Lentjies has also got them playing well in the build-ups.
“Chippa United become a very different proposition and something that becomes very interesting,” Mokwena told the club’s media department.
“I think what has helped them is two things, first, the influence of Gavin Hunt cannot be taken out. If you look at their last three matches, we watch their game (on Saturday) against Tuks where they were a bit unfortunate to concede the two goals, and the two goals in a space of between five and 10 minutes where it was clear that once conceding the first goal they became a bit anxious, and maybe even lost their profile but a very, very clear style of play against Sekhukhune, against Maritzburg, you see the same things.
“The influence of Gavin Hunt as I said, the physicality, the aggression in the duels, they commit a lot of fouls, fouls that are committed even by their frontline. Eva Nga is there pressing, aggressive Sekotlong, pressing aggressive.
“But hopefully then with our match, we get very good strong officials because you can see how they break down the play of the opposition in the matches.
“But also, I need to commend the work that is being done by Kurt Lentjies, I think Kurt has done fantastic. You look clearly that, to add on to the profile of the team, a team that was Gavin Hunt’s team, basically they kept that physicality, the strength, the duels, the commitment.
“But now their play has really, really improved, they do it from the back very, very well. They look a lot more composed on the ball, they find the angles, they find possibilities to advance, really looking to get influence from the three center backs. Roscoe Pietersen is critical for them. And Mthethwa is very important for them.
“So it’s a team that looks like it’s gone to another level where they don’t just kick the ball forward. They have their patterns of play, they look better organised in buildups schemes.
“And it should be a very interesting game for us because it means that we’re going to have to work very, very hard to get the ball from them. Because we need the ball to be able to put our qualities on the pitch and if they haven it for as much as they’ve had it against Maritzburg, against Sekhukhune, against Tuks, then we can see that they will give us a lot of problems.
“But those problems are things that we have to deal with. And in particular, in trying to manage their patterns of play and and this build-up play that looks to be really, really improving and causing a lot of problems for the teams. So it should be an interesting game.
“And a game that we’re really looking forward to, of course, coming two days after the last match with a bit of traveling for us from Durban and then traveling again to play in Pretoria. That then speaks to our regeneration, our recovery, that becomes the most important with regards to the protocols.
“But we will be prepared and we will be prepared to play well and to try to influence the match in a direction that hopefully will give us the best possibilities to win over the 90 minutes.”
