Premier Soccer League champions Mamelodi Sundowns had a dramatic pre-season and a poor start to the season both on and off the pitch.
It started with Rulani Mokwena and Masandawana parting ways after, reportedly, a misunderstanding with Sporting Director Flemming Berg
Coach Manqoba Mngqithi did not start his reign as the head coach on a high note as he might have anticipated. His team was knocked out of the MTN8 by Stellenbosch after a far-from-convincing display.
The Brazilians had struggled to get past Polokwane City in the quarter-final and had to dig deep in extra time to win by a solitary goal.
A small glitch affected Sundowns, Kekana reveals
Bafana Bafana international defender Grant Kekana has now explained the poor start by Masandawana.
“I think it was just a small glitch [setback]. We started slow, but we were performing well. That is something we want to improve as a team going forward,” he told the media.
“But there was no panic buttons from us or anything from us at the club [players and coaches]. Now it's quite well and I’ve been with him [coach Manqoba Mngqithi] ever since I have been at Sundowns.”
MTN8 exit, a blessing in disguise?
The MTN8 elimination was the wake-up call Sundowns needed to kick-start their season positively.
Since then, Sundowns have been ruthless; they have so far played three Premier Soccer League matches, registering a 100% winning record. Orlando Pirates are the other only team in Mzansi with another perfect record in the early rounds.
In the Caf Champions League, Sundowns eliminated Mbabane Swallows 8-0 in aggregate to grab their group stage ticket.