WATCH | Kekana says Sundowns still feel targeted by rivals despite title loss

Mamelodi Sundowns defender Grant Kekana says they still feel chased despite not being the defending league champions, though he reckons not being the reigning champions has taken some pressure off them.

Orlando Pirates stopped Sundowns from winning what would have been their ninth league title on the bounce when they clinched their first championship in 14 years last season. Sundowns face Marumo Gallants in their first home game of the season at Loftus Versfeld on Wednesday.

“They [other teams in the division] are still chasing us because everything revolves around Mamelodi Sundowns, and that shows the great work we have been doing throughout the years,” Kekana said during the club’s media open day at their base in Chloorkop on Monday.

“Not being the defending champions takes a bit of pressure off us, but we are still in the mix, and we want that league.”

Kekana is of the view that complacency was their major undoing last season, where they won only the CAF Champions League, stressing the importance of guarding against it this term as they aim for more trophies.

“The one thing we have to do this season is to guard against complacency. There were moments last season where we thought things would fall into place for us instead of us actually grabbing games by the neck,” Kekana said.

“I think sometimes we got a bit complacent last season. This season we have to make sure we get the results because complacency creeps in.

“Obviously, we only won one trophy last season, and this season, with the additions that we have, we are looking to challenge and compete for more trophies.”

Sundowns have won two of their opening three games of the season and drawn one. Many feel the Brazilians haven’t yet hit top form, despite remaining unbeaten. Kekana is of the view that they have been OK, insisting they can’t hit top gear from the word go.

“If you look at the way we played against Chiefs, I think we dominated possession. So, we are still Mamelodi Sundowns, the African champions, and sometimes we are not going to start the season sprinting 100 miles an hour,” Kekana said.

“It’s a build-up for us. There are a lot of positives we can take from the games we have played so far. We haven’t lost, and we dominated all the games.”