Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Neo Maema has expressed his excitement about playing the Carling Knockout final against Magesi at Free State Stadium on November 23 in front of the people who nurtured his talent.
Maema – who started his football career in Bloemfontein, coming through the ranks of now-defunct Celtic before joining Sundowns three years ago – has already netted his second goal in the Free State town, in their 2-0 win over Marumo Gallants in the semifinal at Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium on Sunday.
“It is always a great feeling to go back home where it started, to make sure you stand in front of your supporters, who’ve been supporting you from the start of your career,” he said.
It’s good for players to start because the supporters are enthusiastic about football. They are passionate, they look after their players and they support them.
Given the number of competitions Sundowns will be participating in this season, coach Manqoba Mngqithi has been forced into rotating his squad for every match. And Maema, 28, has been sparingly used and insists he doesn’t mind as this will benefit everyone.
“It's great because we have a lot of players, we have a lot of competitions in the club. It is always important for us, especially if the team is rotated to keep the same intensity and keep them on their toes because everyone is fighting for a place in the starting line-up,” he said.
“So, it is important as a team to win those types of games and the rotation is good for us to get some minutes to get to a performance we want as a team. Individually, it is great to be back on the pitch after so long without playing, and I’m focusing on helping the team more.”
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Image: ALCHE GREEFF
Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Neo Maema has expressed his excitement about playing the Carling Knockout final against Magesi at Free State Stadium on November 23 in front of the people who nurtured his talent.
Maema – who started his football career in Bloemfontein, coming through the ranks of now-defunct Celtic before joining Sundowns three years ago – has already netted his second goal in the Free State town, in their 2-0 win over Marumo Gallants in the semifinal at Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium on Sunday.
“It is always a great feeling to go back home where it started, to make sure you stand in front of your supporters, who’ve been supporting you from the start of your career,” he said.
It’s good for players to start because the supporters are enthusiastic about football. They are passionate, they look after their players and they support them.
Given the number of competitions Sundowns will be participating in this season, coach Manqoba Mngqithi has been forced into rotating his squad for every match. And Maema, 28, has been sparingly used and insists he doesn’t mind as this will benefit everyone.
“It's great because we have a lot of players, we have a lot of competitions in the club. It is always important for us, especially if the team is rotated to keep the same intensity and keep them on their toes because everyone is fighting for a place in the starting line-up,” he said.
“So, it is important as a team to win those types of games and the rotation is good for us to get some minutes to get to a performance we want as a team. Individually, it is great to be back on the pitch after so long without playing, and I’m focusing on helping the team more.”
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