Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena has explained the somewhat surprising absence of duo Neo Maema and Rushine De Reuck from his line-ups.
In a star-studded side like Sundowns, starting places can be hard to come by. Two players have seemingly slipped to the background at Chloorkop.
De Reuck has been haunted by injuries throughout his career at the Brazilians, featuring five times so far, this season, having made his last appearance in a 0-0 draw against Cape Town City in December 2023.
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Meanwhile, Maema has fared slightly better, making 15 appearances this season but alarmingly has not featured in a league match since November 2023.
Speaking at the Nedbank Cup quarter-final draw on Monday, Mokwena shed some light on the duo's situation.
"No, they are not doing anything wrong, I think it’s just competition," Mokwena said.
"At a certain point, you have to understand the dynamics at the club. we need Rushine, we need Maema, and we need them at their best. The injuries have not helped because when they have tried to get a bit of momentum, they’ve been injured ... various injuries for them.
"But they are not injured at the moment, so they are training and they have to wait and they have to fight for their places in the team. They’ve got incredible competition in that position, the team is winning.
"Sometimes everyone asks, 'Why is Gaston (Sirino) not playing?' Then we play Gaston, then it’s, 'Why is Neo Maema not playing?' I can’t play them all. Only 11 can play and when this one is playing, it's, 'Oh, why is Lebo (Maboe) not playing? Why is (Sphelele) Mkhulise not playing?'
"It’s very difficult at a club like this because while we are trying to give opportunities to everyone, we are trying to be honest that it’s clear we can never be fair.
"As a coach, you can never be fair. You can only play 11, you can only make five substitutes, and I don’t try to be fair because I know it’s mission impossible.
"But I try, every day, to be honest and go home with the ability to sleep well knowing that I’ve given my best to the football club and I’ve given my best to the players and my honest best to everyone at the club and to the players because they give me their honest best every single day.
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"So they have to continue to fight, continue to work, and that’s the message I give to everyone.
"When (Thembinkosi) Lorch was on the bench, people were asking ‘When is Lorch going to start?’ Now he’s starting games and now it’s, 'Where is this one?’ So, it’s very difficult.
Sundowns return to competitive action when they take on Young Africans in the first leg of the CAF Champions League quarter-final next weekend.
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