Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena has opened up on the objectives that were set by the club amid reports that he could be on the verge of parting ways with the Tshwane giants.
In what has come as a surprise, Mokwena could be set to leave The Brazilians after reports in local media suggest that he has a strained relationship with Sporting Director Flemming Berg and has offered to stay away for Berg to continue with his project.
Berg has taken an overarching role at the club since being appointed in April 2022, where he is in charge of football matters, ranging from signings, outgoings and sets objectives and direction the technical team should be taking.
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The Dane was instrumental in dismantling the co-coach arrangement and made a big call to elevate Mokwena to a sole head coach six months into his new office at Chloorkop.
One of the biggest concerns expressed by Sundowns' hierarchy, from Berg's recommendation, was that they were concerned with the side's style of play and a humiliating defeat to Pirates in the MTN8 was the last straw for the co-coaching arrangement that had Manqoba Mngqithi making final decisions, in case of a lack of consensus.
Despite Mokwena winning the league and the African Football League this past season, indications are that he has not met the objectives set by the club under the direction of Berg, hence the alleged tension between the pair.
Mokwena has given his perspective on the past season vis-a-vis objectives and expectations at Sundowns, in the latest edition of the magazine published by the club.
"Ending the season with only one trophy was extremely disappointing but I think the new four-year contract from the Club was a demonstration of their trust and belief in my abilities to lead the team. That already gave me a big responsibility that we had to do better than the season before. So, when this season began, the unwritten objectives and targets as per our Football Club, was to win every single match and title," he stated.
Sundowns could not get past the semi-finals of the CAF Champions for the second successive season and the 37-year-old suggested that's what gave him a "deep sense of disappointment", even though reaching that stage is a success on its own.
"There is, however, a deep sense of disappointment in my heart because we got so close to achieving Invincibles status and needed just one more game to get it right. We came so close in the MTN8 but lost in penalties. We got equally close in the Nedbank Cup and lost. I see these as marginal losses, but they are part of our progress. Bringing home two of the most important trophies can be marked as a success, but a success we know we can exceed. We understand that although it's good, it's not good enough for our club," he continued.
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"If I were to grade our team, I would probably say six out of ten because I think we have got so much more in us. We were not consistent enough to show exceptional performances. From a technical and tactical perspective, even though there have been big improvements, I still think we have a lot of work to do. However, I am immensely proud of this group," the 37-year-old coach added.