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Johannesburg - Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane has revealed he is working hard on the club's schedule so as to avoid the same fixture pile-up suffered by other teams over the years.
According to the Football411 website, the Brazilians are busy gearing up for what promises to be a gruelling campaign, with their PSL title-winning exploits last term earning them a place in the upcoming CAF Champions League.
Last season, Orlando Pirates' involvement in continental action left the Soweto giants playing catch up for virtually the entire PSL campaign, where they eventually only managed a fourth-placed finish, and Mosimane is desperate to avoid the same kind of fate.
"I took my management team and we visited the league post-season and we made them aware of our situation. We asked to be a little bit ahead because we don't want to find ourselves in a situation where we are six or eight games behind, like Pirates and Chiefs last season," the coach said.
"It was a progressive meeting and they've given us the space. We need to take a leaf out of Pirates' book because for me they are the best team in the country. How do you measure that? On the field, where they got a star [as 1995 Champions League winners], which is big in Africa. Sundowns hold the record for most league titles, but we still can't compare to Pirates."
Sundowns get the new season up and running with an MTN8 quarter-final encounter against Platinum Stars on Saturday, and although Dikwena have lost several of their star players, Mosimane is not taking anything for granted against the defending Wafa Wafa champions.
"Our main focus is not that aspect [Platinum Stars' depleted squad] because we have seen SuperSport United lose players in the past and win the league three times in a row," he said.
