Johannesburg - In a business that requires coaches to be the middleman between the club, players and fans, you would expect them to call a spade a spade and be confident.
But welcome to South African football where most, if not all, of the coaches hide behind the massively rehearsed response: “We are focusing on the next game!”
As Orlando Pirates lost 1-0 to Mamelodi Sundowns in a thriller on Saturday, firm responses were expected from both coaches after the match.
After all, this was Sundowns’ record 15th win in a row as they extended their lead to 23 points at the top of the Premiership standings after 21 matches.
For Pirates, meanwhile, their chances of closing in on the log leaders went up in smoke with the defeat as they trail Sundowns by 27 points with 33 still up for grabs.
But reporters inside Orlando Stadium’s auditorium hoping to get answers on the plans of the two teams were left frustrated.
Neither camp wanted to admit the league title is in the bag or gone as both coaches – Sundowns’ Rhulani Mokwena and Pirates’ Jose Riveiro – spoke with modesty.
“No, it’s not. I wish it was. But we’ve got so much work to do and so many games to play. There’s still nine games to play this season,” Mokwena said.
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“We must respect every opponent. It’s going to be difficult. But the same way we respected the 21 games, we have to respect the nine with due diligence.”
Riveiro, spoke with modesty after being asked about fighting for the runners-up spot, which secures Caf Champions League football next season, now that the title is gone.
“I cannot think much about the objectives at the end. But given the level we played against Sundowns, that makes me positive about the future,” Riveiro said.
“If we manage to play at this level, we are not going to lose a lot of points this season. We’ll continue the process in the future stronger than we were.”
Such modesty is fine at times but also tells the tale of two men who are worried that they could bottle things, especially in their maiden campaign as head coaches of their respective teams.
And that shouldn’t be the case. As Sundowns focus on the Nedbank Cup and Champions League this week, they should assure their fans of continuity.
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The Brazilians are no stranger in either space, having won the Nedbank Cup before crashing out in the quarter-finals of the Champions League last season. But Mokwena was content with the test that they got from Pirates, heading to their next two matches against Richards Bay and Al Hilal.
“We played against a very good side. This could have easily been regarded as an away clash in our Champions League campaign,” Mokwena said.
“We struggled to keep clean sheets there but we didn’t give a lot of chances against Pirates, except on set-pieces. For sure, they had good situations.”
Sure, Mokwena will have his work cut out for him in balancing between three competitions going forward, but that shouldn't hinder Sundowns from fulfilling their obligations this season.
The work will be less for Riveiro, who will just focus on the league and Nedbank Cup, where they'll face Cape Town All Stars in the last 32 this Saturday.
But he, too, took the job knowing well that there’ll be a lot of competitions in between and that’s why he has to keep a confident front at all times.
@MihlaliBaleka