‘Sundowns did not expect Saile’ – Siwelele caretaker coach Mosoetsa

Siwelele caretaker coach Godfrey Mosoetsa says Mamelodi Sundowns were surprised by the decision to start Christian Saile in their 3-0 victory at Loftus Versfeld.

Mosoetsa was placed in temporary charge of the team after Lehlohonolo Seema and Musa Bilankulu left the club this week. The experienced development coach was moved up from the DStv Diski Challenge set-up to oversee the meeting with the league leaders.

Although Siwelele were beaten comfortably, Saile caused problems for the Mamelodi Sundowns defence during the early stages of the game.

The match marked the DR Congo forward’s first start of the 2026/27 season. Saile has yet to score in 22 appearances for the club since its rebranding from SuperSport United.

Mosoetsa believes the squad still has significant scope to improve in attack, particularly after a major change in personnel during the off-season. A total of 25 players left, while 15 new signings were brought in.

“I think there’s potential and room for improvement, if you look at the strikers we have at the moment, the one that was a surprise, was us having to play Saile, I mean Sundowns didn’t expect, of all people, we would play Saile,” he said.

“And the way he played, if he could have carried on playing like that and the players understanding that, what we wanted to achieve from him, he gave them a lot of problems and unexpectedly.

“It could have been a different ball game, I’m not saying we could have won it, but had we capitalised on those chances… it was something that surprised them, we knew what to expect from Sundowns, we know how they play.”

The defeat extended Siwelele’s difficult start to the league campaign. They have failed to win any of their opening six matches, recording four defeats and two draws.

Mosoetsa’s side will attempt to end that run when they face Golden Arrows this weekend, before the upcoming FIFA International break.