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Cape Town - The loss of assistant coach Rhulani Mokwena to Orlando Pirates caused some to question Mamelodi Sundowns' prospects for 2017/18, but according to Percy Tau, the Brazilians always knew they were capable of delivering without him.
Mokwena helped to steer Sundowns to the 2016 CAF Champions League title, and appeared to have a similar effect on Orlando Pirates, helping Sredojevic turn them into Premiership title challengers. However, Pitso Mosimane's side beat them to the prize.
"There were no doubts (over whether or not Sundowns could deal with Mokwena's departure). He was important to the senior team and to us (as players], but we knew we still had two great coaches that would help us," said Tau, according to Kick Off.
"It’s part of football that sometimes we’ll lose some (members of the team) and sometimes we’ll get some [new personnel) – it’s always like that.
"But we knew we would be strong because, even before coach Rhulani came up [to the first team], the team was strong and won the league before, while he was with the academy."
However, Tau did offer Mokwena some praise, claiming: "We knew we’ll still be strong, but he’s a top coach – he’s got new ideas and he’s improving also. He likes to implement and try new stuff."
The Brazilians will face La Liga champions Barcelona in the Mandela Centenary Cup challenge on Wednesday.
