Moroka Swallows coach Steve Komphela says to have information about Mamelodi Sundowns won’t help much because the Tshwane giants have tweaked things a bit.
Komphela left the gravy train of Sundowns to take the Swallows post, who have backed him big time in the transfer market.
He will face his former club in the MTN8 quarter-final at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday (15:00), having drawn and lost in the first two league matches of the season.
Unlike Swallows, who are in the early stages of performing as Komphela said, Sundowns have won both of their games to sit top of the table.
“Sundowns have evolved,” said Komphela, who joined Masandawana from Golden Arrows in 2020 to form a co-coaching trio with Rulani Mokwena and Mangoba Mngqithi following the departure of Pitso Mosimane.
“There are certain principles that they still subscribe to, but they have complicated them a bit. If you saw the match against Sekhukhune United [last Friday] when Rivaldo Coetzee got red carded, you could see when Riva was going and you could see where Khuliso Mudau was going when Riva went in the middle.
“But when Riva was not there, then the dynamics changed and then you look at Abdelmounaim Boutouil, he was going in the same area as Aubrey Modiba was going.
“But when Riva was in there, it left Modiba out. So you need to look at all those pictures and not be blurred or be obstructed by the movements of certain individuals and players.
“Look at the frame and the principles and then you realise that ‘okay, such a model exists universally’ and you just have to be aware of them.”
Swallows, in the past, were a pain in the backside to Sundowns and have a good recollection when these two sides last met in this competition as they won and went all the way to win the Wafa Wafa Cup.
But that was in 2012/13, when Swallows beat Sundowns in the MTN8 semi-final, winning 6-5 on penalty shoot outs.
They beat SuperSport United 2-1 in the final at Orlando Stadium to win the top eight, the last major trophy they won in the top flight.
