Rulani on Guardiola’s words to calm Sundowns troops

After winning the inaugural African Football League, Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena reveals how Pep Guardiola’s words inspire him to calm his troops.

Mokwena says he told his players to celebrate winning because they are not entitled to it as they were just crowned AFL champions.

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Speaking to The Sundowns Pitchside Podcast, Mokwena says he gave his champions a 48-hour rest to celebrate the win over Wydad Casablanca.

The astute Sundowns coach adds that his Sundowns players will be making a huge mistake if they think they are entitled to winning.

RULANI ON GUARDIOLA’S WORDS TO CALM SUNDOWNS TROOPS

In the first leg of the AFL final, Sundowns went down 2-1 away in Morocco before bouncing back with a convincing 2-0 win in a packed Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

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“Winning is an imposter, you’re not entitled to it, so is losing, it is an imposter too because you’re not entitled to it, it’s not on your birth certificate and it’s not going to be on your tombstone,” said Mokwena.

“Now, we deal with them in 24 hours. We gave [players] 48 hours rest after the [African Football Football] final. For physiological and psychological reasons, it’s important to celebrate victories because like I said, you’re not entitled to win.

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 “If you think you’re entitled to success or to winning, you’re making a mistake. You only have to look at Chelsea, not so long ago, they were winning Champions Leagues and League titles in the EPL, but they are struggling to put three wins in a row.

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“Manchester United, if you were to say to their board, players and fans, ‘how much would you pay to win one league title?’. 

“They would give everything, there was a time when they were winning everything. But now they are struggling with how many coaches [they have changed] and with how much they have spent.”

SUNDOWNS PLAYERS MUSTN’T TAKE WINNING FOR GRANTED – RULANI

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As they look to maintain winning ways in the CAF Champions League this weekend, Sundowns players are warned to respect the game.

Masandawana will face Nouadhibou of Mauritania in the opening group stage tie on Sunday afternoon in front of their home crowds.

“This is what Pep Guardiola was saying to Manchester City players and fans, ‘don’t take winning for granted. Don’t get spoilt by it, enjoy it because eras come and go,” he adds.

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“There is nothing wrong with an emotional connotation. You’ve got to feel something with the result, otherwise, you’ve got to question your level of investment.

“If I don’t feel the pain of defeat, there’s a problem. And if I don’t feel the excitement of the win, there’s a problem but it cannot be an obsession.”

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