New AmaZulu co-head coach Arthur Zwane has admitted that when he and coach Vusi Vilakazi took charge, the spirit of the players was low, having lost three matches this season. 

AmaZulu suffered their fourth successive loss of the season, this time in the Carling Knockout Round of 16 competition going down 2-1 to Stellenbosch after extra time in their first game at King Zwelithini Stadium on Friday.

Despite the loss, it looked like an energetic and rejuvenated Usuthu as they made sure Stellies ground in sweat for the result, finishing the game in end-to-end action. 

The former Kaizer Chiefs head coach insists his troops maintain an adequate quality level despite the season’s horrific start and asserts that they just lacked motivation. 

“There is no doubt there’s so much quality in the team, you must have seen. Coming from a situation where we lost three games before this one, the morale in the squad is a bit low so it was our responsibility to try and lift the morale and make the players start believing in themselves more,” said Mangethe, who Vilakazi replaced Pablo Franco Martin.

Battling one of the strongest sides in Stellenbosch, Usuthu managed to hold their own in most parts of the game, forcing incredible reflexes from Sage Stephens and engaging in a fierce midfield battle.

The Usuthu co-head coach believes that Friday’s performance is one to build upon and should be pivotal in helping the team regain confidence in their future battles. 

“You must have seen, though I believe we could have done better, I think the way we exert ourselves, I think there were a lot of positives that are going to work for us good forward and also making the boys start believing in themselves” asserts 10111.

After finishing the first half with only a single shot at goal, Usuthi came back stronger in the second half, with substitutions turning the game around, constantly asking questions at Stephens, and eventually finding an equalizer.

The 51-year-old believes the impact demonstrated by his second-half substitute is enough evidence to measure the squad depth possessed by Usuthu.

“But also, there is no doubt about the quality that we have. From the bench, you looked at the approach in the first half, and when we realized it wasn’t working, we made changes. Look at the players that came from the bench, immediately their impact was positive and that tells you that we’ve got the depth.” explained Zwane. 

The road does not get any easier for the Durban side as they keep chasing their first victory of the season, with next Saturday seeing them having to travel to Gauteng to face Orlando Pirates in the Betway Premiership.