Steve Komphela reveals how Mamelodi Sundowns' PSL campaign fell apart - 'All these weighed heavily on the players'

Steve Komphela believes the catalyst for Mamelodi Sundowns' domestic struggles was a lack of adequate preparation time following their exploits in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

The senior coach noted that the ripple effect of a shortened break was felt throughout the entire squad as the season progressed, leading to a physical and tactical deficit they couldn't overcome in local competitions.

"If you don't have a good pre-season, it does affect almost everything in your programme," Komphela said on The Pitchside Podcast.

"You're likely to face injuries, and coming from matches where you have not had enough rest, you're likely to have lack of form, burnout of players; there's just a lot you will juggle."

He highlighted that while the club usually thrives under pressure, the physical toll of 2025 was unprecedented.

The Brazilians' domestic campaign was uncharacteristically poor, marked by early exits in every major knockout competition. These failures created a mounting sense of pressure within the Chloorkop camp.

Reflecting on the psychological impact of these losses, Komphela admitted there was nowhere to hide.

"With all that, nobody wants to know; you may come up with clarity, explanations, eloquent excuses, not at Sundowns, so it was the most difficult part of our season.

"As the technical team, we were trying to hold onto the DNA of Sundowns.

"Then the MTN8 setback, the Carling setback, Nedbank (Cup) setback, all these are serious setbacks, and then we had the Betway Premiership we had to fight for; obviously that's history, we know all the challenges," he added.

As the league title began to slip away, the mental strain on the players reached a breaking point.

Komphela noted that the squad was battling anxiety as the prospect of an empty trophy cabinet became a very real possibility, a scenario almost unthinkable for a club of Sundowns' stature.

"All these weighed heavily on the players' mental part. You are now panicking, becoming too anxious, and it may affect the players.

"Then we went to Mbombela, TS Galaxy, and I think it was in that dressing room, where we took a resolution: 'we cannot approach tomorrow with yesterday's emotions' and then we had to change gears and face the Champions League [final]," Komphela explained, highlighting the pivotal moment the season was saved.

Despite the domestic total wipeout, the Brazilians managed to find a second wind on the continent.

By isolating their league failures from their CAF Champions League ambitions, the technical team was able to steer the side toward a historic second star.

While the Champions League trophy ultimately validated the campaign, Komphela’s comments serve as a warning about the modern football calendar.

The transition from global competition back to domestic dominance is a tightrope walk that requires a perfect pre-season, something Sundowns simply didn't have the luxury of enjoying this time around.