Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi has picked one PSL team building a solid squad for the future.
Mngqithi was responding to Gavin Hunt’s remarks that Sundowns are dominating the league because of their financial power.
The 51-year-old, however, believes building a strong team is not entirely about splashing money.
The former Golden Arrows mentor then used Stellenbosch FC as a good example to follow. The Capetonians, he said, have been a great side in the league mainly because of good scouting and promoting youngsters to the first team.
“I don’t think it’s about the amount of money to get players to build a team because there are teams really doing good work. They are focusing on what will work for them because the truth of the matter is if you can improve your coaching and improve your scouting, you can have a lot of top players that can challenge other teams in the league,” Mgqithi told the media.
“I can give you a team that can make with not as expensive players from PSL. Who can build a very strong team with a good eye to look exactly at what you want? Look at Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch has not signed any big name player, but very soon their players will be wanted by every big club in the country.”
“Their youth programme is yielding results. No wonder they won the DDC, no wonder they have promoted so many youngsters, and already they have lost some of their top players that were known by nobody, the Du Preezs [Ashley Du Preez], the Kwinikas [Zitha Kwinika] as much as he had travelled a little bit.”
He further provided guidelines on where other teams should focus their scouting on.
“There are so many players out there. I’m coaching Sundowns, but there are probably five, six, seven strikers that are good, but teams don’t have strikers.”
“We played against a team called Maniema from Congo. Not so many people still remember the striker that scored against us. You would expect top South African teams to be looking at these teams when we playing against them.”
“He was exceptional against us, but we don’t look at that. We recycling, the player you saw five, six years ago they want it. That’s a problem because we don’t have confidence in bringing in the youth,” Mgqithi added.
So far, Masandawana’s new signings have impressed in the new season because of good scouting. Ronwen Williams have started all matches in goal, and Ethiopia’s Abubeker Nassir and Chile forward Marcelo Allende both scored in their debuts, respectively.
