Rulani Mokwena has reacted to Marcelo Allende being named Man of the Match in his side’s 2-0 win over Chippa United after he recently asked for more credit for the South American.
Allende, 24, has often been compared to the brain in Sundowns’ midfield, but has many times been overlooked when it comes to the Man of the Match awards – something which Mokwena recently criticised.
On Saturday, though, Allende walked away with the accolade, which delighted his coach.
“So proud that Marcelo [was named Man of the Match]. Well deserved and it’s long overdue,” he told SuperSport TV.
“Incredible team performance against a difficult side. This Chippa side is difficult, they fight. So congratulations to my players, congratulations to the supporters, congratulations to the football club.”
Mokwena also discussed the performance and role of Aubrey Modiba who helped out in a more advanced role in the absence of players such as Thapelo Maseko and Peter Shalulile, who are part of the club’s lengthy injury list.
“We had to win, we don’t have [many options],”
“He’s not a winger, but he’s also not a midfielder. He’s got a position that we have to… and he’ll get better at it because it’s so important.
“He helps us with the passes, he helps us with the creativity, he helps us with a little bit more dominance a little bit whereas some of the other players like Neo [Maema] for example help us with verticality and depth of the ball.
“But yeah, very good performance from the team [and] Modiba.”
