Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena has opened up on the physical strain endured by his players following their defeat to Wydad Casablanca in the first leg of the African Football League final.
Rest is a word foreign to the Brazilians.
Shortly after their strenuous goalless draw against Al Ahly in the semi-finals in Egypt, Sundowns made the trip directly from Cairo to Morocco where they had to face Wydad just days later.
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A match that would put Mokwena's men to the ultimate test in front of a raucous 80 000 fan base.
It would end in defeat for the side from Chloorkop who will take heart from the fact that they managed to get a crucial away goal, something that could be telling in the outcome of the tie.
Addressing the media after the match, Mokwena was asked about the strain out on his players by the travelling schedule, and while making no excuses, he took into account the effect on his players.
"It's difficult. It's very difficult, but the modern player has to has to get used to playing every three days now. The only challenge, particularly when it comes to continental football, is the travelling. It's the number of hours that you spend in transit and traveling from country to country, particularly when you consider that majority of the top teams in the top eight of the continent are either from Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and then from South Africa to travel to those countries is extremely extensive and that's a big contribution," he told journalists.
"But we don't complain about it. You know the modern player has to get ready. The only people who understand it is people like myself who don't get to be on the pitch and run for 90 minutes, but we experience the travel and even with myself, I mean every two days, I've got 5 games to watch on the opponents and then I've got my previous game to watch, my training sessions to watch. So, it is quite a hectic schedule, but the reality of the situation is that most of the people will not understand the importance of the question that you asked because most of the people like myself don't play. And who don't get to travel and play, don't understand that amount and the demand and the effects that it has physically on the players, you know, but it is what it is. We have to find mechanisms to cope with these situations and make sure that we assist the players not just on recovery but injury prevention and also on preparation for the next match."
Sundowns will face Wydad in the second leg of the AFL final at Loftus Versfeld on Sunday.
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