By
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena has insisted his charges do have an aggressive side to them when it’s necessary.
The Sundowns mentor was responding to a question on whether The Brazilians can “play dirty” to get the job done in their remaining fixtures in the DStv Premiership, CAF Champions League and tonight’s Nedbank Cup quarter-final against AmaTuks.
Mokwena explained why every team has to have that approach in their arsenal.
"I take it as a compliment, I think it's something, if you look at all the most successful teams globally – Manchester United with Roy Keanes, Liverpool with Jamie Carraghers, Real Madrid with Zinedine Zidane, Al Ahly sides that get dirty and not so pretty.
"Neo Maema at the beginning of the season said my talks are very painful and it's because I still have a lot of pain from how we lost the Champions League last season."
Although the immediate assignment is Motsepe Foundation Championship outfit AmaTuks at Lucas Moripe Stadium tonight, the biggest prize for Mokwena remains the Champions League, where they face Esperance de Tunis in the two-legged semi-finals starting next weekend.
"The biggest lesson I learnt is the importance of away-goals, and I said to myself right from the beginning, if we are to lose a tie, it must not be because we've conceded goals," he added.
"That is one of the things I've worked very hard on with the technical team and coaches to try and improve on our side – you can just imagine being the best team on the continent last season, not having lost a game, but you exit the Champions League."
