"Rhulani doesn't sleep" - Kennedy Mweene
By Neo Poho
Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene has revealed some of the precious moments Sundowns coach Rhulani Mokwena shares with the team when preparing for a match.
Mweene who has been at Sundowns from 2013 is celebrating a decade at the club this year and in his tenure he has managed to make 90 appearances winning eight PSL league titles, two Nedbank Cup titles, a single MTN 8 and Telkom Knockout title while also claiming the 2016 CAF Champions League and CAF Super Cup in 2017.
Despite not getting enough game time this season under Mokwena, Mweene is more than happy to be rubbing shoulders and still continue to hear some of the techniques Mokwena implements when approaching a match.
"Coach Rhulani doesn't sleep, he honestly doesn't sleep because he can watch 4-5 matches in a day and still be able to analyse how the teams play with a sober mind and approach, I would compare him with coach Pitso Mosimane because he also wasn't a man that sleeps" Mweene said.
With Mamelodi Sundowns fully changing and dominating the landscape of South African football by consistently winning the league title and domestic trophies every season, Mweene delved a bit deeper into how Mokwena prepares for matches.
"One of the reasons why Sundowns is successful today is because coach Rhulani wants us to always win, immediately after training he is already thinking about tomorrow's training session and immediately after a certain game he is already preparing for the next one so that's someone that is really committed and intentional about getting the results.
He does his work exceptionally well and you can also see that our style of play and approach has significantly changed and that's because we have a coach that understands football evolves everyday," Mweene added.
The veteran goalkeeper who is now one of the players that has gained some experience with how to analyse games and the opponent, shared some of the skills on how Mokwena taught them to analyse the opposition team.
"We watch football everyday, we sit down and analyse the opposition team thoroughly from their strengths to their weaknesses and etc, Mokwena guides us on the teams to watch, how they play and which players to also analyse, so it's really important and worthwhile having a coach like him.
"He literally keeps all of us on our toes, he checks with all of us if we have watched the games he recommended us to watch and he would generally ask us what have we learned from the observations of those matches."
Meanwhile, Sundowns legend Godfrey Sapula has also praised Mokwena for his immense contribution to the Mamelodi Sundowns club and success.
"He is a young coach that is filled with a great passion to play football and win, he has an incredible work ethic that is driven by football so I am happy for him and to see him mature and influence football in the country is something I am really proud of," Sapula said.
With the DSTV Premiership left with only five matches, Mokwena has already led Sundowns to their sixth consecutive PSL title.
The DSTV Premiership champions are also in the quarterfinals of the CAF Champions League and Mokwena has made it clear that he wants to win the continental championship.
Sundowns are also in the quarterfinal of the Nedbank Cup and they are going to meet Stellenbosch FC on Saturday the 15th of April 2023 at the Danie Craven Stadium, kick-off in that encounter is at 18:00.
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