This week's DoRego's revolving blog features Abel Mabaso of Mamelodi Sundowns.
I've enjoyed spending time with my family and friends during the break. It's been nice and I've been enjoying every day. Spending time with my loved ones has been awesome, it's been nice! The club gave us a training programme and I followed it, just to maintain the shape, you know what I'm saying? As professional players it's important for us to stay in shape and all of that. We will start training sometime this week, although they weren't really clear on what date that is... it's either the 9th or the 11th. One could say the break came at the wrong time for us as we had started to find our rhythm, but, ja, I mean, we couldn't do anything to stop the break! It just happened. I guess that's just how things happen sometimes. We did well before the break, so I guess we just need to carry on from where we left off. Nothing beats that. We have to keep on pushing and working hard, as we did in the last few games of the first round, and try to get positive results for sure.
For me it's an honour to work under a renowned coach like Pitso Mosimane. His record says it all. I'm very grateful to be given an opportunity to play under a coach of his calibre. I'm learning a lot and I'm always willing to learn from him, and I think for me it's a privilege to have him here. We all know what he's done as a player and what he's achieved as a coach. I respect him as a coach and I respect him as a person. He has coached the national team and that alone says something about him. In fact, I think we are all privileged to be mentored by him. When he got here, he told us to go out there, play football and work hard for each other. That's all he said and I think that's what we've been doing and it's been working for us. Of course he has his own philosophy, but I think it's still early days and we still have to get to know him more as the season goes on. For now it's too early to tell what type of training he makes us do or to go into detail about those things. If I had to tell you now, I'd be lying!
Regarding my progress, everything that's happened has been humbling and I'm very grateful to the people that have believed in me and gave me the support I needed. But I believe there's still a long way to go and I just need to keep my head down, keep on working and keep on pushing myself. The season isn't over, so I can't rest on my laurels. People often ask me what my secret is, but I don't have a secret really. It's just hard work and making use of the opportunities you get and being humble, you know what I'm saying? As a person you have to want to learn every day because every day is a chance for us to learn new things and to grow as individuals. The senior players have been very supportive and they always tell us youngsters to always have the desire to contribute to the team's cause. They advise us not only on football, but on a lot of other things and life in general. They've been great, and I'm grateful to them and I appreciate the support they've been giving all the youngsters at the club.
On my ambitions, i'm just taking each day as it comes. I don't want to get ahead of myself, so I'm just taking things as they come...one day at a time. I'm taking it easy, but I'm working hard and hope to realise my goals.
On the pressure at Sundowns
Nah, I mean...pressure's part of football. Football is pressure. We just need to play and remain focused on what we want to achieve as a club. We just have to remain positive and optimistic about everything.
For the second round the season, we just gotta keep on playing, take it one game at a time and then see at the end of the season where we are. We need to go out there and try to get positive results in every game we play. Let's just wait and see what that league table will look like come the end of the season, ha, ha, ha!
I'd like to tell our supporters to just keep on supporting the club, keep on being behind us and keep on coming in numbers to all the games. They must stick with us because we're also with them. I know we didn't have the best of starts to the season, but now we are on the up and there is no turning back. They must just be there, we'll be there, we'll keep working hard for them and for the whole club. We must be there for one another at all times!
Abel Mabaso,
Mamelodi Sundowns
