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After admitting he didn’t have a good season at Mamelodi Sundowns, midfielder Neo Maema feels they have had a successful campaign and winning the Nedbank Cup against Orlando Pirates at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday will be a cherry on top.
Sundowns have already won the Premier Soccer League and the African Football League (AFL) and are looking to add the Nedbank Cup to their cabinet.
“When you come to a big club, you get into a space of competitiveness,” Maema said.
“But it is a situation that makes you strong not as a footballer but as a man. I took it as it came and I know there was a lot of speculation of what was [going on] between me and the coach [Rulani Mokwena].
“Nothing was going on. It was just me trying to make sure that I competed and I was off form. It was not a secret and I have been trying to get myself back to my old performance.
“Credit needs to go to the players that have been performing. I have been supporting them and I have been a very good teammate and that’s what happens at the big club.”
Facing the Buccaneers, who beat them in the MTN8 final earlier this season, Maema feels they have an upper hand going into this final, having won the league title where they were consistent.
“The treble is still there and we want it. It has been a successful season. Last campaign, we did very well, but we only won the league,” he said.
“This season, we have also won the AFL, so in our eyes, it’s a successful season and we can put the cherry on top with the Nedbank Cup.”
Sundowns hitman Peter Shalulile revealed the support he received from his technical team and teammates helped him rediscover his form after struggling midway through the season.
The Namibia international has found form at the right time ahead of the final against Pirates, scoring five goals in his last seven matches.
The 30-year-old goalscoring ace — three times the Premiership’s top goalscorer, in 2019-20 for Highlands Park and Sundowns in 2021-22 and 2022-23 — said he knew it was just a matter of time before he started scoring again.
“A lot of people were going on, the media were writing [about my form], but you know as a striker life cannot always be good,” Shalulile said.
“There are down moments where things don’t go well for you. It is how you pick yourself up. With the support [I got] from my teammates and the coach, they never gave up on me.
“You just go back to the drawing board, do the things that you have been doing and eventually the breakthrough will always come.”
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Maema feels Downs have upper hand over Bucs
Utility player happy to be returning to form
After admitting he didn’t have a good season at Mamelodi Sundowns, midfielder Neo Maema feels they have had a successful campaign and winning the Nedbank Cup against Orlando Pirates at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday will be a cherry on top.
Sundowns have already won the Premier Soccer League and the African Football League (AFL) and are looking to add the Nedbank Cup to their cabinet.
“When you come to a big club, you get into a space of competitiveness,” Maema said.
“But it is a situation that makes you strong not as a footballer but as a man. I took it as it came and I know there was a lot of speculation of what was [going on] between me and the coach [Rulani Mokwena].
“Nothing was going on. It was just me trying to make sure that I competed and I was off form. It was not a secret and I have been trying to get myself back to my old performance.
“Credit needs to go to the players that have been performing. I have been supporting them and I have been a very good teammate and that’s what happens at the big club.”
Facing the Buccaneers, who beat them in the MTN8 final earlier this season, Maema feels they have an upper hand going into this final, having won the league title where they were consistent.
“The treble is still there and we want it. It has been a successful season. Last campaign, we did very well, but we only won the league,” he said.
“This season, we have also won the AFL, so in our eyes, it’s a successful season and we can put the cherry on top with the Nedbank Cup.”
Sundowns hitman Peter Shalulile revealed the support he received from his technical team and teammates helped him rediscover his form after struggling midway through the season.
The Namibia international has found form at the right time ahead of the final against Pirates, scoring five goals in his last seven matches.
The 30-year-old goalscoring ace — three times the Premiership’s top goalscorer, in 2019-20 for Highlands Park and Sundowns in 2021-22 and 2022-23 — said he knew it was just a matter of time before he started scoring again.
“A lot of people were going on, the media were writing [about my form], but you know as a striker life cannot always be good,” Shalulile said.
“There are down moments where things don’t go well for you. It is how you pick yourself up. With the support [I got] from my teammates and the coach, they never gave up on me.
“You just go back to the drawing board, do the things that you have been doing and eventually the breakthrough will always come.”
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Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.