THE COACH of Sekhukhune United, Eric Tinkler, says that the battle for the Betway Premiership title this season is not heated by the decline of Mamelodi Sundowns, but that the competing teams have raised the level.
The Brazilians have won the league eight times. It has become common for them to start the second half of the season alone in the top but this time they are in second place with 32 points in 15 games.
The top team is Orlando Pirates, who finished second in the last two seasons, with 38 points in 16 games.
Sekhukhune is in third place with 32 points from 18 games, followed by Kaizer Chiefs and Mazulu with 30 points each.
Tinkler believes that the development of these teams has led them to close the gap with Sundowns.
“There is no doubt that Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns are the two best teams in the local league right now. Pirates started the season badly when we beat them but they have improved a lot since then. People say that Sundowns are not doing well but in fact they are not. What has changed is that other teams have raised the level,” said Tinkler.
“Pirates have risen, and so have Kaizer Chiefs and MaZulu. That’s why it looks like Sundowns are no longer strong. It’s good that the gap has narrowed because it’s not easy to predict how the season will end.”
Regarding his team’s goals this season, Tinkler said that they are looking to do better than last season when they finished in fourth place.
“Last season we finished in fourth place as well as in the 2023/24 season, so it would be nice for us to go up this season, increase the number of points we collect. I don’t like to look too far ahead, I like to look at the next game,” the coach continued.
“What we have done now is to collect 30 points, which is a big thing if you want to ensure that you continue in the top division. It is up to us where we want to put ourselves in the remaining games.
“That’s what reduces the pressure on the players because if you keep telling them that you want the team to finish in third place, they end up being burdened. I don’t want to put that pressure on them.”
Sekhukhune will face the University of Pretoria in the Last 16 of the Nedbank Cup on Sunday.
The next Betway Premiership match will be against Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria, on March 1.