Golden Arrows head coach Manqoba Mngqithi has discussed what helped him hold his former side Mamelodi Sundowns to a draw, ending the Tshwane giants’ winning streak.
The Brazilians entered this match seeking their fifth consecutive league victory to solidify their lead at the top of the Betway Premiership.
However, Golden Arrows immediately demonstrated their intent to avoid defeat at home at the Mpumalanga Stadium in KZN’s Hammarsdale.
Mngqithi believes his in-depth understanding of Sundowns was key to his preparation for the match. He elaborated, revealing that his past role at Sundowns involved extensively analysing Arrows for their encounters.
Therefore, he feels that possessing detailed knowledge of Arrows’ players’ capabilities also enabled him to formulate a decent game plan.
MNGQITHI ON HOW HE PLANNED FOR SUNDOWNS CLASH
“I think I was helped more by that [having worked with Sundowns players] because I’ve played a lot of games against Golden Arrows when I was still at Sundowns,” said Mngqithi.
“I was the one preparing when we play against Arrows [to make sure] we are in a better space in terms of organisation because I know most of these kids.
“But I was particularly impressed by the attitude and mentality from the very first training session. I only had two sessions [since arriving on Monday].
“And the first session was mainly for the players that never played. Then, the second session was yesterday [Tuesday], where after a lot of talks in terms of organisation and showing them videos of what to expect, they adapted very quickly in a new system.
“They have not been playing a 4-3-3 formation, and I was so impressed to see them adapt so quickly and really trying to stamp their authority in moments where I thought Sundowns were struggling with midfield overload.
“But we didn’t capitalise in trying to be a little bit more incisive in getting into more dangerous positions when we were in possession.
“We only got a lot of good moments in transition.”
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