Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rhulani Mokwena says that the coaching staff at Downs have been monitoring Orlando Pirates last five games, while adding that the inside information he has on individuals at his former club have proved useful.
The defending Champions and the Sea Robbers come head-to-head on Saturday afternoon in the first Dstv Premiership clash of 2021.
With both sides unbeaten in the league this season and eying a run at the title Mokwena has revealed that they have left no stone unturned in their attempt to prepare themselves for the encounter.
“We have gone to their last five or six even because we tried to check a bit on their [CAF Champions league] match against the team from Angola which was a slightly different team they put up in the domestic competition,” Mokwena told the media.
“Of course, they have been consistent with their line up apart of couple changes their game against Chippa United, the game against Cape Town City and the game against Bloemfontein Celtic of course maybe due to medical and injury concerns to some players. But generally, they have been consistent with the line-up.
” They got certain schemes that they also consistent with they got of course different methodology and profile of playing system to what has been in the past couple of years to something more transitional now. Of course, you have to maintain and understand and respect that because they have got speed on transition with key players to make important decisions in those sort of moments. They also have threat on set pieces and key players with qualitative superiority to make important actions during set pieces.
“But the dynamics of the team are characterised by qualities of individuals and of course the information we have on individuals comes in pretty handy.
“We have prepared. We know how they look to defend. We know how they look at times in particularly maybe different when Wayne Sandilands plays to when [Richard[ Ofori plays ,the build-up is different even though they always consistently have the options of building up from the back with the new coach”.
“We have worked hard on it and now is to come up with the strategies to control certain aspects of their game.”