Newly appointed Golden Arrows head coach Mandla Ncikazi has highlighted his primary tactical concern after taking charge of the KwaZulu-Natal outfit less than a fortnight ago.
Ncikazi made a surprising departure from Orlando Pirates to rejoin Abafana Bes’thende, replacing Pitso Dladla, who spent just three months at the helm since the start of the 2026/27 Betway Premiership season. Dladla arrived during the off-season from Durban City FC to succeed Manqoba Mngqithi, but an inconsistent start, including an early exit from MTN8 contention, led the club to part ways with him.
In response, Arrows turned to a familiar face in Ncikazi, who previously led the club during a memorable stint between 2020 and 2021.
Ncikazi made an immediate impact in his second spell, guiding Arrows to a resounding 4–0 victory over Chippa United in the Carling Knockout Cup Last 16. However, his second match ended in disappointment as Abafana Bes’thende suffered a 1–0 league defeat against provincial rivals AmaZulu FC on Saturday.
Speaking after his first defeat since returning to the Abafana Bes’thende hot seat, the 57-year-old tactician highlighted a lack of attacking fluency and poor decision-making as his biggest immediate challenge. His concerns come despite seeing his side score four goals in his debut game in charge.
NCIKAZI FLAGS LACK OF ATTACKING EFFICIENCY AS PRIMARY CONCERN AT ARROWS
“Where I’m coming from [at Pirates], I think I achieved everything as a coach, and I’m grateful to the big institution and all the memories,” Ncikazi said. “I thank the supporters for such good memories. Then, at the next stage as a coach who has won everything, I thought, for a different challenge, let me go back to work with young players and challenge myself.
“I don’t want to retire as a coach without having gained the stress that I have today, and I thought it was a good opportunity for me when Arrows gave me the opportunity.
“The club is still close to my heart; the highest position that Arrows ever achieved was in my presence [fourth place in the league back in the 2020/2021 season]. We broke a lot of records, and that craving was still there.
“Now you have a challenge; when I started, I had the time. Right now, there is no time; we have another game on Tuesday [against Mamelodi Sundowns in the Betway Premiership]. So you want to train certain aspects, but you are also playing games.
“But that’s the responsibility of the coach; you just find a way, but I’m just concerned with us in the attacking third. I’m concerned with us being less creative on the opponent’s half and scoring less goals, but I also saw with my eyes why we are where we are.”
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