Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena has opened up on his decision to bench big players Thembinkosi Lorch and Themba Zwane in the CAF Champions League semi-final second leg against Esperance.
Mokwena raised eyebrows with his line-up against Esperance after including Thapelo Maseko and Rivaldo Coetzee, who were not involved in the knockout games, in such a crucial encounter.
Trailing 1-0 from the semi-final first leg, the 37-year-old tactician seemed to have overcompensated for the injured Teboho Mokoena with Coetzee in midfield, a third central midfielder, and also took a risk of including Maseko, with both players lacking match fitness, having been out for a lengthy period.
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There were big question marks on why Mokwena benched Lorch and Zwane, two players many feel would have taken the game to Esperance from the word go and the former Orlando Pirates coach, speaking to the press after a 1-0 defeat, says he gave his reasons to players who were not in the line-up.
"I speak. One of the most important things I've learned from some of the many or maybe little discussions and things that I read that how important communication is and I speak to the players a lot. So, I did speak to Lorch, I did speak to 'Mshishi' (Zwane)," he explained.
"But I also spoke to Bongani Zungu because he has just come back. I spoke to 'Tash' (Tashreeq Matthews) because Tash played well and scored a goal last game, but he's been struggling with a stomach bug. I spoke to Thapelo Morena, who I thought when he came on was very good.
"(Aubrey) Modiba has always been playing well for us, so I had to speak to him. But I speak to them, I talk as much as I possibly can. I explained the reasons why. They don't always have to agree with me, but they know they've got to respect the reasons because I'm the coach and I have to make the decisions," added Mokwena.
The outspoken mentor conceded that he got the Lorch and Zwane decision, starting them on the bench, wrong.
"And sometimes I'm right and sometimes I'm wrong. Unfortunately in this game of football, it's the results that determines whether you're right or wrong and at this moment because we've lost, we're out of the Champions League, I was wrong."
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"And I put up my hand and say I was wrong and therefore I take full responsibility, it's something I have to shoulder as a leader. I can't hide, I face the scrutiny, the negatives, reactions that will come," he added.
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