Johannesburg - Mamelodi Sundowns tightened their grip at the top of the log on Friday, but coach Rhulani Mokwena says they are far from being a well-oiled machine.
The Brazilians have enjoyed life under Mokwena, winning five league matches in a row after scoring 14 goals and without conceding a single goal.
Their latest win was at the expense of Richards Bay on Friday as they triumphed 2-0, thanks to goals from Cassius Mailula and Haashim Domingo.
Sundowns were so good on the night that Richards' coach Vasili Manousakis likened their sheer dominance in the first half to that of ‘PlayStation’ football.
With that win, the Brazilians extended their lead to 10 points at the top of the standings, while ensuring that they won nine matches on the trot.
Though Mokwena was pleased with his team’s efforts in search of a straight sixth title, the young tactician says there’s still room for improvement.
“A huge compliment to our players, we beat a very good team. We did that by playing very well and being organised,” Mokwena said.
“It was only a little bit towards the end that we lost the legs, dropped the line a little bit and had a lot of activities around the box. But we’ll surely improve.
“We still have a long way to go. And I say to people that this team is not there yet. We are not a finished product just yet, but people say no (all is well).”
Richards Bay started the second half on the front foot. They came close to equalising after great build-up play, with Sanele Barns on the wing.
But they didn’t make that count as Ronwen Williams ensured that he kept a seventh clean sheet in a row after blocking Luvuyo Memela’s effort.
Williams’ feat meant that he equaled the tally held by his predecessor Calvin Marlin at the club during the 2006/2007 campaign.
The Bafana Bafana No. 1 is also now just two games away from matching Wayne Roberts’ nine clean sheets in a row from the 2002/2003 term.
Williams will be eager to keep things tight at the back when they host Chippa United on Tuesday.
Chippa will be tough customers for Downs, though, given the fact that they are looking for their first win in four games after three draws and one loss.
That loss was away to Swallows on Friday. But speaking after the game, their coach Morgan Mammila said they had done their due diligence on Sundowns.
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“Sundowns is the simplest team to play against. Even a DDC player will tell you how they play,” Mammila said in the bowels of Dobsonville Stadium.
“They are easy to play and plan against. But the only difference is that they are mastering the system. I hear people talking about their depth and quality.
Mamelodi Sundowns were playing PlayStation football, says Richards Bay co-coach Vasili Manousakis
“No! There’s no such thing. Half of those players at Sundowns were fighting relegation. I don’t even need to do a video session when I am playing them.
“When they lose or have the ball, all of them are marking or all of them are opening up. There’s no star there. But go and check the other 15 teams.”
IOL Sport