Mngqithi Refuses To Be Harsh On Players After Carling Knockout Exit
Golden Arrows coach Manqoba Mngqithi says he will not be too harsh on his players following their Carling Knockout semi-final exit, noting that many of them had never reached that stage before and reminding that the club was fighting for survival when he arrived.
Mngqithi, who was used to winning trophies with Mamelodi Sundowns before being dismissed in December last year, watched his side bow out to Marumo Gallants in a penalty shootout at King Zwelithini Stadium on Sunday.
Arrows had several chances to win the match but were let down by poor finishing. Mngqithi admitted he sensed the game slipping away, especially after Junior Dion struck the post with an open goal at his mercy.
With Gallants advancing, they will now face Orlando Pirates in the Carling Knockout final at Peter Mokaba Stadium on 6 December.
“The truth of the matter is, I can’t be hard on these boys,” said Mngqithi.
“When we started the season, if you had told them we would reach the semi-final of the Carling Knockout, they would have looked at you and said, ‘Now the coach is dreaming.’
“For them to be where they are now is already a positive, because I didn’t anticipate this progress so soon. My plan was to see this team come together after about 15 league matches, once things had started to gel.
“For them to perform as well as they have in some matches, they deserve credit. Let’s not be too harsh, because this was a team struggling at the bottom of the table last season, and things didn’t look good back then.
“The strides they’ve made in such a short space of time should be appreciated. Yes, it’s true that most of them have never played in a semi-final before.
“Maybe some of them were starstruck, especially in our league game against Orlando Pirates. I was surprised by the level of anxiety and the mistakes we made in that match.
“I had a feeling we might struggle to deal with the pressure and the occasion because they’ve never been in this position before.
“For me, I’m trusting the process because I can see a lot of positives. The defensive mistakes that cost us are part of the learning curve.”
Abafana Bes’Thende, currently ninth in the Betway Premiership table with 16 points from 12 matches, will take a short international break like the rest of the teams before resuming league action away to TS Galaxy at Mbombela Stadium on 23 November.
