Mngqithi Says PSL Matches Can Be ‘Torture’ To Watch

Golden Arrows coach Manqoba Mngqithi has criticised the quality of football in the PSL, saying some matches are “torture” to watch and warning that the lack of entertainment is driving fans away from stadiums.

Mngqithi said clubs must prioritise entertaining football if they want supporters to return and fill stadiums.

His comments come amid a growing global trend where teams rely heavily on set pieces to win matches. According to OptaJoe, 17.6% of the goals scored in the English Premier League this season have come from corners (138 out of 783), the highest percentage in the competition’s history.

Arsenal, who are pushing to win their first Premier League title since the famous “Invincibles” season in 2004, have been one of the teams leading that trend.

In the past, when Pep Guardiola popularised the tiki-taka style — a short-passing, possession-based approach that dazzled fans during his time at Barcelona — clubs around the world tried to emulate it.

However, some teams today have found ways to win without necessarily producing the same level of entertaining football. Arsenal, for instance, have managed to stay at the top of the table through efficiency rather than the free-flowing football once associated with clubs like Barcelona, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City – when they won leagues in the past.

Mngqithi previously pointed out that, statistically, only about 40 percent of football is actually played in PSL matches because of frequent stoppages.

Asked whether the global game could increasingly rely on set pieces rather than entertaining football, the former Mamelodi Sundowns coach emphasised that dead-ball situations remain a crucial part of the game.

“Set pieces are a critical part of the game,” Mngqithi replied to Sportswire.

“We must give attention to them because they are a component of the game that you cannot neglect. They can make you win or lose a match.

“When you look at the profile of players in your squad, you must consider that. If you are playing against a team that is strong on set pieces, you need players who can help defend them or players who can help you score from them.

“They are standard situations that require a lot of focus. In South Africa, not many players like set pieces, but coaches who focus on them often end up winning.

“I remember there was one team that stayed at the top of the log for a long time, and they even had a top goalscorer who scored most of his goals from set pieces. In one season, they won the championship mainly through counterattacks and set pieces. You cannot neglect that.”

Despite acknowledging the importance of set pieces, Mngqithi did not hold back in his criticism of the style of football played in the PSL.

“But the reality is that our product is not very marketable,” said Mngqithi, whose side face Durban City in the Nedbank Cup quarter-final at King Zwelithini Stadium on Sunday.

“Sometimes when you watch PSL matches, it is torture. That is one area we must improve on as coaches and club bosses to make the product more interesting.

“When you watch a PSL match, try using a stopwatch. Stop it when you don’t see the ball and start it again when the ball is back in play, because even the TV cameras sometimes cannot follow it.

“The ball is going up and down all the time. Our football is not very interesting to watch, and yet we complain about fans, sponsors and many other things.

“The reality is that we still rely heavily on percentage football, where the ball is simply played forward into the opposition’s final third and then we fight for it. That does not speak well for our football.

“But I’m happier this year with the number of teams I’ve seen that are trying to improve their players technically and play more possession-based football.

“Football becomes interesting when there are dribbles, shots at goal and cut-backs. That is when the game excites people. I speak about these things because it is the reality.

“We must improve if we want people to come back to the stadiums. People know what they want to watch.”

Interestingly, Mngqithi himself is a passionate Arsenal supporter, even though the English club is one of the teams benefiting from the modern emphasis on efficiency and set pieces.