Modise aiming dig at Chiefs & Pirates? – ‘They only train to beat Sundowns’

Former Bafana Bafana midfielder Teko Modise feels Mamelodi Sundowns are from a crisis as it has been projected in some quarters.

Sundowns have started the season in less than impressive fashion as they have exited the MTN8 at the semi-final while in the league won two of their four league matches, drawing the others.

Their display has been a cause for worry as they have not been free flowing as Sundowns are known to be but Modise feels the criticism leveled on his ex-team is unwarranted.

“When you are on top for such a long time, people want to drag you down and they are the ones that brought you up,” Modise said on The Pitchside Podcast.

Modise wants to see a confident Sundowns

“Mamelodi Sundowns that has been such a dominant force for such a long time, it is unheard of and therefore every season, teams are beefing themselves up to beat Mamelodi Sundowns and at times, we fail to give credit to those teams that may play better on the day or have done exceptionally well on the day to nullify Sundowns.”

Modise wants Sundowns players to play with a swagger as they have already proven over the years that they are heads and shoulders above the rest.

“That shows the dominance space that we are in. When such people speak, we should not feel inferior because we understand who we are and it is a mistake if you are the person that discredits a player who plays 60 games a season,” he added.

“A team that plays more than 60 games and wins more than 80 per cent of those games. Those are the people who know how to win in difficult situations. We are not in the right space but we are not far from our target.

Is ex-Bafana star aiming dig at Pirates and Chiefs?

“People outside speak about their own targets that they are projecting to the team. They don’t know the target the team is having within itself. It is easy and more appetising to chase more than when you are being chased.”

In what could be interpreted as a dig at Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, who Sundowns have faced in their last two matches, Modise claims some teams do not have targets and their ambitions end once they beat Sundowns.

“We have teams that are really prepared in the off-season to beat Mamelodi Sundowns, not to win the league. That is the level,” Modise further said.

“Nobody speaks about the ambitions, they only speak about the result. So as Sundowns, you have to understand you are in a space where everybody wants to beat you, they do not care about anybody else but you because you have been in this dominant space and it is annoying.”