Sundowns is having a tough time lately even though they lead the Premier Soccer League by a wide margin. The Brazilians had a commanding two-goal lead on Monday, April 15, but they wasted it and ended up drawing 2-2 with Moroka Swallows.
They struggled against University of Pretoria, a National First Division team, in the Nedbank Cup quarterfinals, holding them to a 1-1 tie and needing a thrilling penalty shootout to win.
In a same vein, they narrowly prevailed 3-2 in a penalty shootout to go to the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League, with goalie Ronwen Williams playing a pivotal role. Concerned, GOAL investigates the root causes of Sundowns’ poor performances and looks into possible causes for their current problems.
A forgotten striker
Peter Shalulile is facing mounting pressure to deliver goals as he grapples with a goal drought that has persisted for six weeks since March 2nd when he scored from the penalty spot in a 1-0 win over TP Mazembe in the Caf Champions League group stage.
With just one goal to his name since the beginning of the year, his form has been underwhelming, exacerbated by a lacklustre performance during the Africa Cup of Nations. Despite being given opportunities to showcase his abilities, he has struggled to find the back of the net.
Also, the emergence of Lucas Ribeiro Costa, who has excelled in front of goal, has further complicated Shalulile’s situation. While Ribeiro’s form may offer a solution, the absence of a lethal Shalulile in the attack is undoubtedly a loss for Sundowns and surely has them yearning for his return to top form.
Mileage taking a toll
While Teboho Mokoena has been in stellar form for Sundowns, there’s growing concern over the team’s heavy reliance on him across multiple competitions. From league matches to competitions like the MTN8, African Football League, Caf Champions League and Nedbank Cup, Mokoena has been a consistent presence.
Additionally, he played for Bafana Bafana in the Afcon, greatly influencing the team’s outcome. Nevertheless, athletes are prone to weariness and injuries even with their professionalism. This was made clear in the game versus Swallows when Mokoena scored but then appeared to injure his hamstring right away. In order to prevent player exhaustion and injuries, the Sundowns technical team must efficiently manage player effort as the pivotal CAF Champions League semi-final draws near.
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