Victims Of Their Own Success? Sundowns’ Numbers Tell A Different Story

For the first time in eight years, Mamelodi Sundowns could finish a Betway Premiership season without lifting the league title, and yet the numbers suggest this may still be one of their strongest campaigns in recent memory.

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Much of the discussion around Sundowns in recent weeks has centred on disappointment, especially with Orlando Pirates now in control of their own destiny heading into decisive fixtures against Durban City and Orbit College.

At face value, surrendering the championship would naturally raise questions around whether this season should be viewed as a failure for the Brazilians, a club that has turned dominance into an expectation.

But perhaps Sundowns have become victims of the impossibly high standards they have set for themselves over the past decade.

The statistics paint a very different picture.

Sundowns have already collected 68 points this season, which is more than what they accumulated in title-winning campaigns in 2021/22 (65 points), 2020/21 (67), 2019/20 (59) and 2018/19 (59).

They have also registered 20 league victories this campaign, surpassing the totals from several previous title-winning seasons, including 19 wins in both 2021/22 and 2020/21, while managing only 17 and 16 wins in 2019/20 and 2018/19 respectively.

Only in the two seasons immediately prior did Sundowns produce higher points totals, underlining just how relentless they have remained despite the pressure mounting from Pirates this season.

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In many other eras of South African football, these numbers would have comfortably secured the championship long before the final weeks of the campaign.

Instead, the narrative around Sundowns has shifted because of the extraordinary benchmark they have created through years of domestic dominance.

Importantly, the season is far from over for Miguel Cardoso’s men.

The Tshwane giants still have the opportunity to finish the campaign on a historic note with the CAF Champions League title still within reach. Two matches against AS FAR Rabat now stand between Sundowns and their first continental crown since 2016.

And if they do conquer Africa again, this season may ultimately be remembered very differently.