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Sundowns coach Mokwena reveals targets for next season
"We need to do better than this season next season," said Mokwena.
Rulani Mokwena, head coach of Mamelodi Sundowns (Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix)
After winning the DStv Premiership and the African Football League last season, Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena has revealed his targets for the Brazilians for the 2024/25 season.
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Top of Mokwena’s targets for the upcoming season is to reach the final of the CAF Champions League and maybe win it for the second time in the club’s history.
“We need to do better than this season next season,” said Mokwena when asked by Masekepe Matsebane of PowerFM Sport on what will make him happy next season.
“Better than this season means MTN8 we were in the final and we lost on penalties, it means it means winning the MTN8. The league title means we need to surpass the number of points that we have accumulated and to win it again. The Champions League, it means we have to win the Champions League. But I say to you and I’m very realistic in that sense that next season, we need to be in the final,” added Mokwena.
“We must be in the final, to show progress and to show that we’ve developed and improved. We must be in the final of the Champions League and to give ourselves a chance to win the Champions League.
“You can’t say you want to win the Champions League, but you’re not in the final of that Champions League. Because we’ve done two back-to-back semifinals, so for me it’s the final of the Champions League. And then the Carling Black Label Cup, we need to do better than the first round [exit] and the Nedbank Cup it’s to do better than losing in the final and that is to win it.
With Bongani Zungu, Brian Onyango and Abubeker Nassir leaving the league champions, Mokwena was coy on who will be joining them on the exit door.
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The Sundowns coach also refused to reveal the names of the players who will be joining the Brazilians ahead of the new season.
“No, that rests on the desk of the sporting director Flemming Berg. The report is there, we have done the report with the technical team and we’ve handed it in. I’m very proud of the work of the technical team. Our end of the season report is about 100 pages,” commented Mokwena.
Sundowns players are expected to report back at Chloorkop on 1 July before taking a trip to either Austria or the US for their preseason training.
