Sundowns striker Iqraam Rayners gestures to the Chiefs fans after scoring the opening goal on Saturday. Photo: BackpagePix
A FEW things got fixed in local football at the weekend when Mamelodi Sundowns beat Kaizer Chiefs 2-1 in a Premiership match at a packed FNB Stadium.
Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi – who faced a lot of criticism early on in the campaign – schooled some of those who felt he was “trying to fix what ain’t broken”.
His team staged a come-from-behind victory through goals by Iqraam Rayners and Lucas Ribeiro Costa on Saturday after Ranga Chivaviro had put Amakhosi ahead as early as the ninth minute.
“I think it was ignorance to think we had changed anything,” he said. addressing the question of whether he felt vindicated in making changes to the team.
“I think we added, we did not change anything. In a society where people jump into conclusions before they even ask, you end up in situations where people think there is something that has happened, and yet there is nothing.”
While Mngqithi appeared to many to be dismantling a team that nearly achieved invincibility in the league under Rulani Mokwena last season, he said the reality was the opposite because all he and his technical team wanted to do was make Sundowns better.
Although Sundowns had an impressive unbeaten run of 29 matches in the league, they had some glaring shortcomings. They didn’t win any knockout trophies and failed once again to capture the CAF Champions League title, showing that improvements were necessary.
“The truth was we wanted to improve the speed of play, because we were a team that was not strong on transitions; we were a team that was not strong on break attacks; we were a team that did not have maximum width,” the coach said.
Thank you for your your incredible away support Masandawana! 💙💛#Sundowns #BetwayPrem #RabatsenaGape pic.twitter.com/2l9d7C4BuI
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) September 29, 2024
“We had to improve those aspects because they are fundamentally important to the success of any football club.”
Mngqithi also criticised the tendency of some people to jump to conclusions without seeking the full story.
“But because our society has got a lot of people that jump to conclusions and don’t even bother to ask so that they can have answers, they immediately use their pen and paper to write whatever they like.
“So, I don’t even think I’m vindicated – I’ve never changed anything, I’ve added.
“I’ve been in this institution for so many years, and I know what has gone right and what has gone wrong. And I know areas that need to be improved.”
Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams spoke to us after the team earned a spirited win at the FNB Stadium in the #BetwayPrem!🎙️#Sundowns #RabatsenaGape pic.twitter.com/dVZK0xudhz
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) September 29, 2024
Contrary to the widely held belief that Mngqithi made changes out of disagreement with Mokwena’s strategies, he expressed respect and appreciation for the work done by his predecessor.
“I also commend the good work that my predecessor did because there was a lot of work that Rulani has done which is good and which is helping the club now.
“And if I was stupid or ignorant or having a low self-esteem, then I would have gone the direction of wanting to change and do my own things.
“But I never had that in mind, and it was baffling to hear people talking,” he paused, choosing his words carefully, “the way they talked”.