Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane admits that he got his tactics wrong despite defeating Wydad Casablanca 1-0 in the first-leg of their Caf Champions League quarter-final tie.
A second-half strike by substitute Yannick Zakri gave Sundowns the advantage against the Morrocan giants going into the second leg on Saturday.
Mosimane highlighted that despite bossing possession stakes throughout the encounter, his side hardly looked like troubling their opponents in the attacking third.To be honest, it was a totally different game. That’s why I like Champions League because it’s totally different tactics to the PSL,” says Mosimane.
‘To be honest, it was a totally different game. That’s why I like Champions League because it’s totally different tactics to the PSL,’ he said in post-match comments.
‘We struggled in the first half to break the ice, we struggled to get the rhythm, we struggled to play like Mamelodi Sundowns and you could see that the boys were getting frustrated.
‘I think I did not get the tactics right in the first half. I thought the three-man midfield of Oupa [Manyisa], [Hlompho] Kekana and ‘Vila’ [Sibusiso Vilakazi] would help us to dominate the play. It helped us to dominate, but we did not look like scoring,’ he added.
The former Bafana Bafana mentor said he altered his tactics a bit after Leonardo Castro found himself isolated as the lone-striker.
‘Leo [Castro] was a little-isolated upfront and we could not get more firepower upfront, so that’s why I changed in the second half.
‘You can see this team is well organised and they are well coached. This was not parking the bus. They move properly and we could not get into the spaces in between. But we had to force and put the risk and say let’s push, he concluded.
The win saw the defending champions claim their first victory on home soil during the campaign.
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