As the curtain falls on 2024, Mamelodi Sundowns are on course to reaffirm their position as the kings of South African football with an eighth successive Premiership league title.
With each passing season, Sundowns have chalked up Premiership championships, often by record-breaking margins. Last season, they came within a whisker of their 'Invincible' bid, but their dream season was shattered after losing 1-0 to Cape Town City at Loftus in the final match.
This team will not have to deal with the pressure of achieving the 'Invincible' because Sundowns' perfect start to the Betway Premiership season came to an abrupt halt with a 1-0 defeat to Polokwane City in October.
It was the only blemish after 11 Premiership games this season, and Sundowns head the log with a three-point margin from second-placed Orlando Pirates, who have a game in hand.
Sundowns’ detractors may point to their failure in the Carling Knockout final, which they lost to Magesi FC, the weakest team in the Premiership.
Both reverses were while Manqoba Mngqithi was at the helm, but Sundowns have shown him the exit door. Early in December Portuguese coach Miguel Cardoso was appointed to take their technical team in a new direction.
Since then, Cardoso led the team to four consecutive wins with clean sheets, although all the performances were not convincing despite dominating from start to finish. On Sunday for example, Sundowns were made to sweat for their 2-0 win over lowly Richards Bay, who had chances to score goals. Rival coaches who are likely to study footage of the match may feel that with the right game plan, they can eke out a win against the star-studded Sundowns.
After four matches, there is nothing to suggest that Cardoso will vastly transform Sundowns, but he needs time to settle in the head coach's position. He is dealing with a few challenges, and the biggest one is working with a huge player group. Some players can find themselves out in the cold for some time if the selected players all produce impressive performances.
Another challenge facing Cardoso is the CAF Champions League, which takes the team to all parts of the continent and is time-consuming. This week, for example, Sundowns will fly the length of the African continent to play the high-riding Moroccan side Raja Casablanca on Saturday evening. Expect the team to spend one travelling.
Cardoso is still grappling with the matter of squad rotation, and he admitted after the Richards Bay match that it will be executed with risks.
Pirates also struggled against 10-man Magesi over the weekend, and they are most likely to challenge Sundowns for the Premiership as the season unfolds. They also have Champions League commitments, and some of their players are showing terrific form, which raised hopes that the team will hold its own in the league and on the continent.
There are no teams beyond Pirates who can be regarded as worthy contenders for the Premiership title. Apart from Sundowns and Pirates, no other clubs don't have the depth in their squad to field with fresh legs for every match towards the business end of the season.