Following Mamelodi Sundowns’ lacklustre performance against DR Congo Champions League debutants Maniema Union, coach Manqoba Mngqithi won’t be pressing any panic buttons ahead of tomorrow’s Premiership home clash against Sekhukhune United (8pm kick-off).
Fresh from their shock Carling Knockout Cup final loss to newcomers Magesi FC last week, Sundowns were held to a goalless draw by the Congolese on their home patch at Loftus Versfeld in a midweek fixture.
This result will surely ring alarm bells at the Brazilians’ Chloorkop headquarters, and Mngqithi would have been aware of it, especially after Polokwane City shocked them in a Premiership clash at the end of last month.
“At this stage, I have not pressed any panic buttons. It would have been catastrophic if we had lost this game after losing the (cup) final,” said Mngqithi.
Despite having the biggest and by far the strongest squad in South Africa, the Sundowns mentor is battling with the team’s schedule and the rotation of players so that the results can do justice to the quality of the squad.
“Going into this match, with all the problems we had – ranging from the number of games we have played and turnaround time between games – there were several changes based on the physiological challenges.
“If you had removed those challenges, we would have been stronger.”
Mngqithi will look to find ways for his players to take advantage of their good fortunes in the opposition half at Loftus Versfeld tomorrow night.
“It is just those final decisions, the final touch, as well as not taking advantage of some situations that create problems,” said Mngqithi.
“These are the things that will infuriate you (as a coach), but there are many positives I can take out of this game under the circumstances. The players we fielded against Maniema gave a good account of themselves.”
Mngqithi’s selection for the Sekhukhune clash will again come under the spotlight, but he is also guarding against being predictable.
“Now we are getting closer to our (best) combinations – the one we wanted to start firing at the right time. We do not want to create problems for ourselves when people already know what is coming from us,” said Mngqithi.
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“We are getting to know who will be in the starting XI at Sundowns because we tried to hide that as much as possible to ensure every player has playing minutes.
“It’s what we have been planning and preparing for. With all the rotations we have embarked on, we want to make sure we arrive at a stage we get there without a heavy load.
“We were unfortunate with the FIFA break and the final coming immediately after it: it caused a little bit of chaos in terms of the physiology of our players.
“I believe our players don’t have a lot of load in their legs, and they are fresh enough.”
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Sekhukhune coach Lehlohonolo Seema will put their 3-1 defeat against TS Galaxy behind them as they try to bounce back against Sundowns.
“We are playing a game on Saturday away at Loftus, so we have to bounce back and make sure we get the points,” said Seema.