MANQOBA Mngqithi takes the reins of Mamelodi Sundowns as they embark on the post-Rulani Mokwena era. | BackpagePix
According to the Brazilians’ coach Manqoba Mngqithi, he and his group of players have not forgotten how they failed to beat ‘Rise and Shine’ in the Premiership at the tail end of last season.
The teams played to a goalless draw in Pretoria, as City became one of eight games Sundowns failed to emerge victorious in.
Speaking in the lead-up to the weekend’s match, a fired-up Mngqithi explained how their failures against City in particular might set them up the right way in terms of motivation.
“I think the good thing is that from last season we played a draw against them where everybody expected us to win, so intrinsically, the players know they faltered there because we could’ve collected more points in that match,” he said.
He also suggested that his personality as a coach has led him to believe that the most unexpected adversaries are usually the most difficult to contend with.
“Sometimes when you play these so-called small clubs, there’s a tendency to take the game for granted, but personally, if there’s anything I’m always wary of, it’s the games where everyone thinks are going to be easy because those matches usually become the toughest.
“Based on that, we have worked very hard to ensure that we’re ready for that.”
The 53-year-old mentor has won just one trophy outside of Sundowns, clinching the MTN8 title with Golden Arrows in 2009.
Mngqithi has referenced that particular achievement as a benchmark for what his current Sundowns side have to achieve in terms of statistical perfection.
The 2024 MTN8 winners’ prize money has been raised to R10 million and the experienced coach feels it has inspirational powers that will aid his side’s cause.
“How nice would it be if we won R10 million from three games? That’s an incentive on its own,” he said.
“Besides that, the first time the competition was upgraded to eight million (rand), I was fortunate enough to win, so why can’t I do it again? I told the players they must break that record (from Arrows) because in that MTN8 we played three matches, scored 11 goals and conceded one goal, so this time around they have the same mandate to try and match or better that.”
With Mnqgithi at the helm, supported by Steve Komphela and Frenchman Romain Folz, Sundowns will look to kick off a new dawn with an enterprising performance and victory against City.
With Orlando Pirates and Stellenbosch FC already in the final four, Sundowns should book their place in the next round.