Mngqithi Remains Optimistic Despite Arrows’ Winless Run

Golden Arrows coach Manqoba Mngqithi remains unfazed despite the club’s current five-match winless streak, asserting that a turnaround is imminent.

Arrows suffered their third consecutive defeat on Tuesday last week against Orlando Pirates at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, extending their winless run to five matches since March.

This string of losses has pushed Arrows into the relegation zone with 26 points after 24 games. They trail Cape Town City, who occupy the relegation playoff spot, by three points but have two games in hand.

“Personally, I’m not panicking; I believe we are just one game away from changing our fortunes,” stated Mngqithi, who was present in the stands when Pirates lost the Nedbank Cup final to Kaizer Chiefs at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday. “But I’m very optimistic that the team is growing in leaps and bounds and we will ultimately turn the corner somewhere.”   

Arrows are set to face the same Pirates at Orlando Stadium on Tuesday [19:30] in what is expected to be an emotionally charged match for Pirates fans and players. This will be the final game for their coach, Jose Riveiro.

The Spanish coach requested to be released from his contract after agreeing to terms with another club, a revelation made by Pirates chairman Dr Irvin Khoza in a statement.

The club he is rumored to be joining is Al Ahly in Egypt, who recently parted ways with Marcelo Koller and are in urgent need of a new coach with the FIFA Club World Cup approaching in June.

A recurring issue for Arrows has been defending the second phase of set plays, failing to either clear the initial danger effectively or deal with subsequent balls into the box. In their 3-0 home defeat to Stellenbosch a few weeks prior, all of Steve Barker’s side’s goals originated from the second phase of set pieces.

This vulnerability was also evident in their 2-1 loss to Pirates last week, with Tshegofatso Mabasa scoring from such a situation.

“That is a very valid point,” acknowledged Mngqithi.

“We suddenly just become so loose from set-plays, and it is an area that we have always been strong in. We deal with what is particularly the strength of the opponent. 

“Against Stellenbosch, we had to worry about their transition. Against Pirates, we had to worry more about their transition as well and set plays are also a factor and we work very hard on these things.  

“I think most of the goals we conceded from set pieces are from second play and you are very right. But we have to keep working, because building a team is not always easy. 

“When I joined the team, it was very in a bad state at that time. But at the moment we are dominant, but we are not productive.”