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The Brazilians have been pushed to the extreme by playing more than 50 games and scouring the entire continent. At one point, they left Rabat in Morocco after playing Wydad Casablanca in the Champions League and went straight to Thohoyandou to face the Black Leopards in the league.
They weakened in the Champions League, eliminated in the semifinals, but they still had enough to claim a ninth record league title at the time of the Premier Soccer League.
The Sundowns were in the rebuilding phase last season after losing Percy Tau and Khama Billiat, two influential elements of their attack.
Mosimane could not replace the pair, but he found men good enough to help Sundowns win the championship after Orlando Pirates pushed them to the final match. Although the Sundowns were not at their best, they knew how to manage the matches thanks to the experience gained by playing in the Champions League for a sixth consecutive season.
In the competition of leading clubs of the continent, it is not a question of playing the pretty thing but to play intelligently. The Sundowns have mastered this, which should help them in their quest for a fifth successive appearance in the group stage of the Champions League.
Tonight, they welcome AS Otoho in the return leg of the preliminary round. The Congolese come to the Lucas Moripe stadium with a 2-1 lead since the first leg. The away goal gives the Sundowns an advantage in their shot against continental dominance. Mosimane was optimistic about his team's chances in Atteridgeville. "If we manage to emulate the game against Bloemfontein Celtic and SuperSport United, everything should be fine," he said.
Champions League football has become a staple for Sundowners who have become accustomed to seeing their team rub shoulders with the kingship of African football.
Last season, they demolished Al-Ahly 5-0 before meeting for the umpteenth time against Wydad, the same Moroccan team that eliminated them in the quarterfinals in 2017 and in group stage in 2018.
There is an unfinished feeling in this competition since their victory in 2016.
The Champions League has turned boys' Sundowns into men, men who can defend themselves in this difficult competition and who still have enough for their national commitments.
Mosimane leads his team after a two-month break for the first time since 2015. Despite a four-year non-stop practice, Sundowns was still strong enough to finish first three times and second twice.
The key to achieving this is that the club sets ambitious goals by winning the Champions League. When that does not happen, they fall back on the league where they have a country ahead of most teams thanks to their quality and the experience of their technical team.
* Orlando Pirates take on Zambia's Green Eagles in a CAF Champions League preliminary round match at Orlando Stadium tonight. We expect the brave Zambians to eliminate the deficit 1-0 from the first leg to the first leg.
The kickoff is at 9pm.
Independent on Saturday
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