Mokwena praises ‘ceiling-raiser’ Allende

Unheralded Mamelodi Sundowns star Marcelo Allende has received high praise from his coach Rulani Mokwena, following eye-catching displays this season.

Allende has gone about his business quietly for The Brazilians who have won five successive matches in all competitions this season.

The midfielder was believed to be on the radar of English Premier League giants Arsenal before joining Sundowns last year.

He once again put in a good shift in the 2-0 win over Chippa United last Saturday to walk away with the Man-of-the-Match award.

“Marcelo makes others look good and he makes the team look good,” Mokwena said before revealing the 24-year-old was linked to the Gunners.

“He makes the ball move faster, he arrives in the spaces faster and drags opponents out of position. Very intelligent footballer and I’m not surprised he flirted with Arsenal. They are really top-tier in Europe and we are really privileged as a club to have a player like Marcelo.

“He’s a ceiling raiser and in basketball that’s what you call these types of players. They don’t only make you play better but they make you function better. Of course, without other intelligent footballers around him, it’s not possible.”

Away to Richards Bay

Marcelo is expected to once again play a key role for defending champions who take on Richards Bay in a DStv Premiership match at the King Zwelithini Stadium on Wednesday, looking to stretch their winning streak to six consecutive matches.

Mokwena is happy to be picking up points on the road with a short turnaround time in between games.

“We have so many games at this moment and we don’t get a lot of training time,” he said.

“We do regeneration and video analysis, that’s why I’m very proud of the players because it’s not easy to do what they are doing.

“They understand their roles as professionals, they work very hard and they deserve the wins because they understand the importance of consistency.”

The home side is still searching for their first win of the season under Kaitano Tembo having lost to SuperSport United and Golden Arrows in the KwaZulu-Natal derby. However, they come into the game on the back of a morale-boosting draw against AmaZulu.