News24.com | The PSL's untouchables: Sundowns quality, deep pockets always going to be difficult, says Tinkler

Cape Town City players and staff come together for a guard of honour for the 2022/23 DStv Premiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)

• Eric Tinkler says the quality of Mamelodi Sundowns is undeniable after they won their sixth consecutive league crown.
• Tinkler believes the financial gap between Sundowns and the rest of the top flight teams is hard to challenge.
• Sundowns currently boast a 20-point lead at the summit of the standings with six matches remaining.

Cape Town City head coach Eric Tinkler says it would be an arduous task to close the gap on, never mind dethrone, Mamelodi Sundowns after they claimed a record sixth consecutive DStv Premiership title victory.

Thanks to Chippa United holding SuperSport United to a 1-1 draw on Saturday, the Brazilians were confirmed as champions without having to put the final nail in the coffin themselves to claim the earliest-ever league title (after 23 matches played) in the PSL era.

With Sundowns seemingly untouchable, the question posed to Tinkler after City's goalless draw to Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld on Tuesday was: how do you end the Tshwane giants' dominance?

Tinkler's City ended the previous season as runners-up to Sundowns. Then gap was a staggering 16 points between the two teams. In the current season, with six matches still to play, the Mamelodi club is already 20 points ahead, and counting.

"It's always going to be difficult," Tinkler told reporters during his post-match press conference.

"Sundowns have the ability to bring in a lot of quality [players]. And, for us as a club, it's difficult to be able to do that. Our financial constraints are not the same as theirs."

Since mining magnate and billionaire Patrice Motsepe acquired total ownership of Mamelodi Sundowns in 2004, the club is undoubtedly the wealthiest football club in South Africa and one of the richest teams on the continent.

They have used their finances to bring the club major success since Motsepe came into power, signing players and offering lucrative contracts that other teams cannot match.

The club has won 20 major trophies with Motsepe's billions, with 16 pieces of silverware coming in the past ten years.

"We try and bring in the quality that we can, but a lot of those [players] we're bringing in, as you would see, is young talent that still need time [to adapt]," Tinkler said.

"I think if we can keep our squad together for another year or two, then I think we'll will be a lot better [at challenging Sundowns].

"I look at today's game. If we can get out of those compressed areas, because they're very, very good in compressing the game because they have a lot of numbers, especially through the middle.

"And when you win the ball there, if you can get it out very quickly and then look to play on the transition, you can catch them. But we didn't do that today. We need to be better at that.

"That next pass, that final pass, all of that has to get better, and then possibly you can start competing against them, but you can't deny the quality that Sundowns possess."

After the draw to City, Sundowns now boast a significant 20-point lead over second-place Orlando Pirates in the Premiership standings with six matches remaining.

If they maintain a gap of 10 points or more over the team that finishes second in the league, it would be the third time they do so in the past six seasons they have won the Premiership.

Only Kaizer Chiefs (2019/20) and Pirates (2017/18, 2018/19) have come five points or less to dethroning Sundowns to the league title.

Sundowns' remaining matches are: Swallows (9 April), Golden Arrows (22 April), Richards Bay (29 April), AmaZulu (3 May), Gallants (10 May) and Maritzburg (20 May)

*Note: Dates may change due to Sundowns' participation in the CAF Champions League and Nedbank Cup.