Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena says the standard of the DStv Premiership is high and his players deserve credit for seven wins from seven games.
Sundowns have enjoyed the perfect start to the 2023/24 league campaign and remain unbeaten since Mokwena took over as sole head coach last season.
The 1-0 win over Orlando Pirates looks to have set them up to be on course for a seventh consecutive league title, as they have a seven-point gap on second-placed Golden Arrows and went 14 points ahead of the Buccaneers, who have two games in hand.
But Mokwena feels it’s down to the relentless work ethic of everyone within the confines of Masandawana.
“The league is very competitive, if you see the results, you just have to watch some of the results every single day you have surprises,” Mokwena added on the standard of the league this season.
“It’s not easy to win games in this league and I say this team is not given the credit it deserves because to have this mentality and consistency is not easy.
“We also try to improve our game, how we play, we change quite a lot of things… we try to be more unpredictable this season but we’ve been asked different questions from different teams.
“There’s teams who have come very aggressive against us with high pressure and we’ve had to find solutions by not moving too far away from our ideas of the game, even under the most pressure.
“There’s teams that have sat in and defended low, some who’ve done both and teams who’ve been extremely physical against us, extremely. But the game of football belongs to the players, we work very hard.
“I know the responsibility that falls on my shoulders as the leader because to instil that intensity, it starts of course with the type of leadership we provide. And together with my technical team.
“I watched seven games of Pirates before this game, we put in a lot of hours but that’s our job, it is what it is… we just have to keep moving, keep our feet on the ground.”
After amassing 21 points, the general notion is that Sundowns will likely walk to another title as Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and SuperSport United, who were aiming to be contenders have faltered with inconsistent results.
But Mokwena reiterated that it’s way too early in the campaign to draw that as a forgone conclusion.
“Such a long way to go, I wasn’t even aware, to be honest, that we are on 21 points, I’m serious, you guys think I’m [not] joking, I go game by game,” Mokwena said.
“I’m dead serious, I really go game by game – it’s pointless to count points, excuse the pun, at this time of the season.
“No league has ever been won at this point of the season. And football being football, and being so unpredictable, so much more can happen, we just have to go game by game and keep focused.
“The credit needs to go to the players for big improvements, not only in performances but results and even still with an understanding we can do better, perform better and win more games.”
