Teboho Mokoena has long been the heartbeat of every team he plays for, from his time at SuperSport United — where he made 167 appearances, scored 17 goals, and provided 20 assists between 2016 and 2022 — to his roles at Bafana Bafana and, of course, Mamelodi Sundowns.
The central midfielder brings precision passing, tactical awareness, and relentless drive every time he pulls the famed yellow and blue shirt over his head. However, it is also his ability to evolve after analysing the opposition that sets Mokoena apart from the rest.
A strange phenomenon occurred in the Betway Premiership this past week, as Sundowns and Rise and Shine faced each other in both Seshego and Pretoria within a couple of days. The champions battled to a 1-0 victory on the road to return to the summit of the Premiership table before the return fixture at Fortress Loftus.
Showing his true professionalism, Mokoena conducted a thorough game analysis and returned with new options to test the Polokwane defence.
Instead of operating solely down his regular central corridor, Mokoena utilised the width of Loftus by moving across to the left and right channels, providing support to his fullbacks, Aubrey Modiba and Thapelo Morena.
This allowed him to whip in precision crosses from the flanks, one of which found striker Iqraam Rayners in the box for Sundowns’ opening goal.
“First, I watched the previous game we played against them. I was always free, so of course I watched the game,” Mokoena said after being named Player of the Match in the 3-0 victory.
“I analysed it and saw the spaces I could occupy. I knew where to put the ball because the ball was in the box. So that’s what I did.”
Cardoso admitted it was a change in tactics to get Mokoena pushing into the wider spaces to counter Polokwane’s man-marking system.
“It’s not very usual or common to play back-to-back matches in a championship,” Cardoso said.
“But it happened due to the commitments we also have in other competitions. It’s never easy to manage because you always have to try to bring something new to the match so that you don’t fall into the same patterns as the previous one.
“I think we played a very good match away, considering the conditions we had to play in and the dimensions of the pitch. We controlled the match very well.
“So, it was a very good starting point for us to understand what we wanted to bring to the pitch. We slightly moved one or two pieces in terms of positioning. We had to try to find a way to break that man-to-man defensive organisation.”
Mokoena certainly executed Cardoso’s plan to perfection as Sundowns extended their lead at the top of the table to five points, and the Portuguese coach had only words of high praise for his co-captain afterwards.
“He is a pillar. Is an important asset for the club and for the team,” Cardoso said. “He is a player whose value we understand.
“We manage him according to what he needs, and we give love to everybody, but also give love to him, of course.”
Such is Sundowns’ frenetic schedule that there is no time to waste patting themselves on the back after such a near-perfect performance. The next challenge could arguably define their league campaign, with Kaizer Chiefs lying in wait on Wednesday evening.
Cardoso admitted that he is fully aware of the high-profile nature of the clash, but for Mokoena, the job doesn’t change.
“Yeah, we take it one game at a time,” he said. “But of course, we plan to win it [the League title], so we can’t be shy about that.”
The Brazilians currently boast 64 points, with Orlando Pirates in second place on 59 points. However, the Buccaneers can maintain the pressure on Cardoso’s men by reducing the gap to just two points with a victory over Stellenbosch FC at Athlone Stadium on Tuesday evening.
