Sundowns technical team off to Qatar

Sundowns technical team off to Qatar

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena has confirmed to SABC Sport that the club™s technical team will be jetting off to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

With the Premier Soccer League now on a nearly two-month-long recess due to the global showpiece, Mokwena and his team have an opportunity to pick up modern trends from some of the best national teams on the globe.

The coach insists they are not going on holiday.

"It's going to be interesting in a tournament like this to see if teams are going to be able to maintain or sustain pressing actions, counter-pressing," Mokwena told SABC Sport.

"The growth of rest defence now is something that you will see predominantly and I also see that the game has gone back to a two-striker formation, if you can call it that.

"In the past, you had Dwight Yoke and Andrew Cole, so I think you will see a lot more teams playing with two central strikers, those are the two major changes you will find in this World Cup."

Sundowns don™t play again until 31 December in a DStv Premiership clash against Orlando Pirates, so Mokwena reveals that the squad has also been given some time off.

"Look we've got a couple of weeks off now for the players, they take a well-deserved break. They've been magnificent so they have two weeks off to spend time with family," he added.

"Some have already travelled to South America, like Marcelo Allende and Nassir is in Ethopia but the rest will be travelling and taking some time off. Some will be remaining behind, there are some players that need to work on some individual programs to get them in good shape."

Mokwena also adds that there are plans to possibly arrange an international training camp before the local league resumes late next month. He also reveals that there will be players who will left behind to focus on improving their conditioning and fitness levels.

"There is a huge possibility of taking an international trip to have a short mid-season camp. Everyone has got a program and some maintenance work to do.

"There are players that have regular training sessions with the conditioning coaches, so Riedoh [Berdien], Stuart [McGregor] and 'Sbuda' [Sibusiso Makitla] will be staying behind with a couple of the players whose conditioning we aren't entirely happy with.

"Everybody is on a program whether it be about maintenance or about fitness."

By Mazola Molefe