Golden Arrows head coach Manqoba Mngqithi says he wants to see his team produce more goal-scoring performances like they did in pre-season.
With his back against the wall, Mngqithi was speaking to the media after Arrows’ 1-1 draw with Durban City on Tuesday night at Chatsworth Stadium.
The 54-year-old said he was happy with the team’s character but less so with their football. He suggested that while the squad has no shortage of potential, poor decision-making in matches remains a concern.
“Dribbling the ball but ending up giving it away is not something I want to see as a coach,” Mngqithi said. “At this point, I’m happy with the character, not so much the football.”
Golden Arrows coach Manqoba Mngqithi addresses the media after their draw with Durban City at Chatsworth stadium.
Durban City had the better of the first half, but the Pride of Lamontville came out strongly in the second, with Keenen Phillips making several runs down the right flank. The midfield battle remained tight throughout, drawing praise from both camps.
Based on Tuesday night’s performance, Mngqithi believes the team is on the right track but insists he wants to see more conversions.
“The structure of the team has improved quite a lot but the plays are sporadic sometimes. Good football actions and combinations but edgy. There’s one mistake, then we go back to our old selves, which is normal. We need to build the culture and desire to play uncomfortable football where when you make a mistake you get punished.
“We made such mistakes against Siwelele, so the team is not settled and far away from how we performed during pre-season. I think that the Siwelele game brought a lot of instability but I am very optimistic,” Mngqithi said.
Golden Arrows coach Manqoba Mngqithi addresses the media after their draw with Durban City at Chatsworth stadium.
Arrows opened their PSL campaign with a 3-1 defeat to newcomers Siwelele, a performance riddled with errors that dented confidence. A week later, they bounced back with a 1-0 home win over Richards Bay, showing resilience. But Mngqithi is still calling for more of what he saw before the season began.
“I’m excited about the potential that I’m seeing in the group because there are a lot of boys that have not even had a chance to mature. We don’t want to change the team too much because we want to build that chemistry within this group and, as we develop, maybe we start introducing new faces, which is unfair to some.
“But we are saying that we don’t want to be harsh with those that started the season. They must try to settle down and give us what we saw in pre-season. Because in pre-season we scored so many goals but now we are struggling to go beyond one goal,” Mngqithi said.
Golden Arrows and Durban City players fight for a corner inside the Arrows box on Tuesday night at Chatsworth Stadium.
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