While Rulani Mokwena doesnt want to be drawn into whether the Premier Soccer League (PSL) could have done more to help them make their Caf Champion League commitments easier, the Mamelodi Sundowns coach highlighted the taxing nature of traveling on the continent as opposed to Europe.
Theres a feeling that PSL could have done more to reschedule some of the Brazilians games to accommodate the Champions League but that wasnt the case. Sundowns played the second leg of the semifinal against Esperance three days after taking on Sekhukhune United in the domestic league.
On the other hand, the Tunisian team didnt have matches scheduled in between the two-legged tussle against the DStv Premiership champions. Esperance dumped Sundowns out of the competition to reach the final where they will play Al-Ahly. Mokwena also echoed Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopps sentiments about mental fatigue after his side lost to Atalanta in the Europa League.
I dont want to answer that because if I do, I might get myself into big trouble, Mokwena said when asked if they felt let down by the League.
What I will say is this, I want you to go back to Jurgen Klopps interview a few days ago. He speaks about the failure of English teams not making it into the semifinals of both UEFA Champions League and Europa League. People will say that you have 36 players and its not like Liverpool with 22 but the reality is that our travels are a lot more extensive than European travels.
Lets say in England and Arsenal is going to play Porto in Lisbon, how long is that flight? But to go from South Africa to go play Esperance in Tunisia, how long is that flight? And then you leave two or three days before that means you have two or three training sessions on the other side. That means you take more than 11 players or 20 because of possibilities of injuries when we travel.
We take almost the entire squad so its not about rotation, its about the accumulation of fatigue and playing games instead of having time to prepare. Jurgen Klopp puts it so nicely, and this is coming from an old man who is about to leave the game. I want to say this is coming from a young man who is wet behind the ears and knows half of what Klopp knows so its better to listen to what he says.
Masandawana will be away to Golden Arrows in the league after clinching the championship last Thursday against Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium with an emphatic 5-1 victory.
