Manqoba Mngqithi: Things are looking up
Mngqithi: Things are looking up
Posted: 2010-08-30 12:51
AmaZulu coach Manqoba Mngqithi prefers not to focus too much on his team's sterling efforts to secure three points from their 3-2 win against Maritzburg United at the Moses Mabhida Stadium yesterday.
Speaking to the media after Usuthu's victory, the former Golden Arrows boss opted to sing the praises of his opposite number Ernst Middendorp for his part in shaping the Team of Choice into a highly combative unit.
But Mngqithi eventually relented and said: "I'm very happy with the team's performance. We definitely started on a good note, now the players will have even more confidence going forward.
"With the League up and running, things are starting to look up for us. If we take into account players like Dumisani Ngwenya, Myron Shongwe and Marc van Heerden out through injury and some of our new signings who are still waiting to complete the registration process, the future looks very promising for AmaZulu."
As for Middendorp, he laid the blame for this defeat squarely on his teams defence, particularly in the central position. With Mario Booysens returning to Ajax Cape Town after spending the second half of the season on loan, Middendorp bemoaned his departure.
"I think we were a bit nervous at the back today, Mario was a big player for us last season and we missed him. His brother David played in the same position. He is a 20-year-old who made his debut in the PSL today, he will grow as a player," said Midddendorp.
"Up until Friday, I was convinced that Mor Diouf and John Arruwah would be our centre-backs, but work permit issues prevented us from fielding Arruwah. Even Byron Hendricks was not available through injury.
"We have to put today's performance behind us and start focusing on stabilising our defence ahead of our September 8 clash with Kaizer Chiefs at the Harry Gwala Stadium," added the German.
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