Mokwena not feeling pressure over constant criticism

Mamelodi Sundowns have become victims of their own success in recent times. Anything less than a victory is regarded as a failure and comes under intense scrutiny whenever they play. Expect the same when they clash against Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup final at the Mbombela Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

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Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena has fired back at his detractors who claim that he’s under pressure to deliver the season-ending cup competition to complete a treble having already won the DStv Premiership and African Football League (AFL).

The Brazilians won the league in record-breaking fashion following a 29-game unbeaten run with their only defeat coming on the last round of league matches against Cape Town City last Saturday. Masandawana still finished 23 points ahead of second-placed Pirates and Mokwena say he’s not bothered by constant criticism.

“The truth of the matter is that I’m going to have to go one or two seasons without winning the champions league. One or two seasons without winning the league and I’m not sure what type of reaction I will get if I go a season without winning,” he said.

“Pep Guardiola, in eight years at Man City has won the champions league once. There were seasons when he didn’t win the premier league. Jurgen Klopp has won the league once and champions league once but he stayed for eight years at Liverpool. His parting shot was that I left and I felt appreciated from the beginning to the end.

“Sometimes I’m not sure and I pray to God we never get into that space where we go into a streak where we don’t win anything. I doubt it would ever happen but with football being football, it is a possibility and then I ask myself questions. 

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“The other day Shupi (Nkadimeng) came to me and said ‘someone from the media says coach Rulani is under pressure’ but no one can put pressure on me because I put more pressure on myself than anybody else. If I’m under pressure then what about the people that are 23 points behind us?”

Mokwena who is expected to pick up the PSL Coach of the Season award revealed how he plans on spending his off season ahead of yet another demanding campaign next term.

“I’ve been invited to go to the Euros with a friend but I don’t know if I will accept the invitation but we all need a bit of a break and it’s much needed but there are still 57 games to watch,” Mokwena said.

“What I do at the end of the season is that I go through every single game and I do it in a much more relaxed state with no emotions and without seeing the players. Sometimes you see the player after watching the game and you’re like how can you do this and then it upsets you but there no emotional connotation because I don’t get to see them.

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“But then when I don’t see them, I miss them. I have to promise them that I won’t disturb their holidays. Sometimes I watch a game and I have to call Marcelo Allende and now I’m talking to him about a game that was played last year already in September and he’s on holiday in Chile so I have to make a promise that I won’t call them during the holidays.”