‘He tends to be consumed by outside forces…’: Mngqithi on Lucas Ribeiro
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi says the club’s attacker, Lucas Ribeiro Costa, can easily break into Europe if he fixes one key element.
Last season, the Brazillian striker was one of the standout performers for the Tshwane giants in his first year in the SA elite league.
He scored 12 goals but missed out on the Golden Boot, which was won by Tshegofatso Mabasa of Orlando Pirates. Mabasa scored 16 goals.
Stellenbosch FC’s Iqraam Rayners was second on the goal charts with 15 goals to his name. Looking at last season’s numbers, Ribeiro Costa was undoubtedly Mamelodi Sundowns’ best signing.
He is expected to pick up from where he left off, but Mngqithi believes more work needs to be done. The Sundowns coach reckons that the 25-year-old can break into Europe if he avoids being easily distracted.
WHAT MNGQITHI SAID ABOUT RIBEIRO COSTA
He made these remarks in the aftermath of their hard-earned win over Polokwane City FC in the MTN8 quarter-finals. They needed extra time to beat ‘Rise & Shine in Pretoria on Sunday, with Thabang Matuludi’s own goal giving Sundowns the win.
“There is a lot of positives in his game. I think he is still going to help us a lot, but there are also elements of his game that must change,” said Mngqithi. “Maybe that is what will help him to get other bigger oppurtunities in Europe.
“The good thing is that he works very hard and he is a team player but sometimes I think he tends to be consumed by the outside forces in the game and loses focus of the match. Sometimes, when you have a player like that, it’s easy for the opposition to always poke them so that he gets out of the game.
“Because I do think he had a very good start, but immediately after those few fouls that were not given. And the yellow card that he got, then he went back to his shell.
“It was difficult for him to come back. In terms of talent, no doubt he is one of the best players we have. But I still believe there is a lot of work to be done,” added Mngqithi.
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