Zimbabwean goalkeeper Washington Arubi is confident Dan Malesela will engineer a massive turnaround of fortunes for Marumo Gallants, who sit dangerously at the basement of the log table.
Malesela made a sensational return to Bahlabane ba Ntwa barely four months after dumping them for Royal AM, where his stay turned out to be untenable.
So much is expected from the 56-year-old as he replaces Romain Folz, whose forgettable reign at the club ended following an altercation with the club leadership.
Folz presided over nine games where Marumo Gallants were all but a pale shadow of themselves where they amassed a paltry six points after eight games.
Interestingly Malesela’s return to the Limpopo-based club has already reignited hope in the team, with veteran shot-stopper, Arubi optimistic of an improvement under his guidance.
ARUBI COMMENTS
“I am happy to see coach Dan coming back to the team. He is one of the great coaches who knows how to make each and every player improve and focus on and off the field. He is what we need,” said Arubi.
“Personally, he helped me a lot to improve my game, and what we all like is his honesty to us at an individual level and team level.
“He never stops asking for more each and every session while making all of us feel comfortable around him and the team. We bonded with him.”
What gives Arubi and his teammates’ confidence is the fact that Malesela guided them to the Nedbank Cup final.
However, they narrowly lost 1-0 to Mamelodi Sundowns in that match, but the fact that they reached the final of one of the richest cup competitions in the land inspires them.
And with the season still in its infancy, the team will hope to leap out of the relegation zone and retain their premiership status.
Arubi added: “Coming back to the team is a big decision for us because he is the one who built the foundation of our team.
“He knows everyone, and we look forward to continuing from where he left. I am 100 % sure that we are going to do better than we previously achieved together with him as a team.”
On his first assignment after the international break, Malesela collides with TS Galaxy in Mbombela on October 4.
