Jali has won the hearts of the Sundowns technical team

Cape Town - Mamelodi Sundowns assistant coach Manqoba Mngqithi is delighted that midfielder Andile Jali is playing to his full potential once again.

Jail found himself towards the bottom of the pecking order at the Brazilians at the beginning of the season, but forced his way in to the team with some accomplished displays in the CAF Champions League before establishing himself as a key first-team member in the Absa Premiership.

And Mngqithi admits that the 29-year-old has 'won the hearts of the technical team'.

“Jali has lifted his game to such an extent he has won the hearts of the technical team. He has raised his level,” Mngqithi told Isolezwe.

“It is pleasing to see a player of his calibre and a player that is known for his best quality going back to his old form.”

Sundowns, Wits and Polokwane City are the only teams not getting time off for the festive season, but Mngqithi says it comes with the responsibility of competing on multiple fronts.

“We don’t have problems when it comes to congested fixture schedules where we play many games in a short space of time,” he added.

“We have enough players and we can play anytime. We can play two or three games and without having problems.

“I have noticed that Sundowns players perform better when they are under pressure because of the heavy schedule. That is when you see them doing well.

“What we do when we have so many games, we don’t train but we focus on analysis, reviewing and planning for our upcoming matches.”

- TEAMTalk