Mngqithi’s Advice To Chiefs On Winning The Premiership
Golden Arrows coach Manqoba Mngqithi has offered strategic advice to Kaizer Chiefs, suggesting that winning the Betway Premiership title hinges not on beating the “big three,” but on consistently securing points against smaller teams.
The Secret to Sundowns’ Success
Drawing from his successful 10-year tenure at Mamelodi Sundowns, Mngqithi highlighted a key philosophy: the league is won by focusing on less-glamorous matches. “If you want to be successful in the championship, you must focus more on winning games like Magesi,” he stated.
He noted that while big-stakes matches are important, the real measure of a championship contender is their ability to perform when motivation is not at its highest.
“Even if you don’t win against Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, and Sundowns, but if you do very well against the so-called smaller oppositions, that is where the championship is,” he added, crediting this approach for much of his former club’s success.
“And that is where I always said the success of Sundowns in the championship has always been hinging around them beating all the smaller teams because we hardly have seasons where we will win all the big matches.
“But when we win smaller matches, because smaller matches are more important than the so-called big matches.”
Kaizer Chiefs’ Strong Start and Upcoming Challenge
Chiefs is currently enjoying their best start to a league season since their title-winning campaign in 2014/15. They have earned 10 points from their first four matches, putting them in a joint-first position with Sekhukhune United. This strong run includes a recent draw against Mngqithi’s former club, Sundowns.
The Amakhosi now face Mngqithi’s Golden Arrows at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban this Saturday at 17:30. Golden Arrows, who defeated Chiefs in both league encounters last season, is in good form, sitting fifth in the standings with seven points from four matches.
Mngqithi’s Focus: Controlling Anxiety, Not Motivation
While Mngqithi’s players will be naturally motivated for the match against Chiefs, the coach’s primary focus will be on managing their anxiety. He explained that high motivation can lead to anxiety, which is “an enemy of good technical execution.”
“Going to the Chiefs game, I don’t think it is up to me to motivate them, unlike the game against Magesi. Against Magesi, I had to dig very deep just to make them understand how important it is to get the three points,” said Mngqithi, who Chiefs are high on the list to have defeated which is five times in 17 matches.
“Against Chiefs, the level of motivation is very high. You must try to control the anxiety because when the motivation is that high, there is a very big chance of anxiety, which is an enemy of good technical execution. After all, when you are anxious, you can’t execute technically the way you want.
“Yes, it’s a motivation like you are saying that we have won this match [against Magesi], but I think that, even if you had lost three matches, when you are playing that match [Chiefs], the level of motivation is naturally very high.”
The coach is pleased that his team is starting to collect points, which he believes is the most crucial factor in building confidence. “I’m just happy the boys are beginning to collect points because that is going to make them to believe,” he concluded.
