Players like Zwane are a dying breed, says Mokwena

Mamelodi Sundowns co-head coach Rulani Mokwena does not agree with naysayers among Masandawana supporters who believe Themba Zwane (right) should now only be a fringe
player at the club.

ALSO READ: Zwane puts blame on Chiefs players for Gallants draw

Mokwena insists that Zwane is still very much in the plans of the club and will continue to play a starring role for Bafana Ba Style.

“Players like Thomas Muller and Themba are space navigators and they are a dying breed. You only have to watch ‘Mshishi’ navigate his way through the pitch to understand what he gives,” said Mokwena.

“The performances speak for themselves and people will criticise and they have the right to do that, I’m sure ‘Mshishi’ also understands that. The reality is that he is doing the best that he can and he is following the instructions to the tee. He is giving his best possible on the pitch,” he added.

These negative reviews on “Mshishi”, who is in his 10th season with Downs, are not only levelled at the 33-year-old, but the whole team, given the unusual inconsistency in DStv Premiership performances this season.

“According to certain parts of the media, there was a crisis regarding Peter Shalulile at the start of the season because he hadn’t scored, and my response was ‘cima’ (loosely translated to delete), because he is going to score.

“No-one came back and said ‘but you said cima’,” added Mokwena.

He continued: “I don’t know where all the doubts are coming from because we know why we are not at our best.

“We don’t advocate for time but we know we will get to a point where our team is fluid and playing the way we want for most parts of the game.

“I think everyone knows that there will come a time where Sundowns won’t be conceding goals and are scoring and playing good football with a lot of fluidity.”