The latest round of musical chairs Mamelodi Sundowns put into motion, by replacing Rulani Mokwena with Manqoba Mngqithi, presents the latter with the opportunity of winning over a squad that has shown great loyalty to his predecessor.
But if it were up to Mngqithi, there would be no obsession about who is the head coach because in his analysis that title doesn’t do anything but inflate the coach’s ego, to the detriment of the club’s main objectives.
Mokwena enjoyed cult-like status among players, with him even forming bonds with their families. Signs of a strained relationship with the club’s management emerged when Mokwena started speaking about his frustrations at post-match press conferences.
To dispose of Mokwena suggests Sundowns are prepared to ditch playing pretty to go with Mngqithi’s professed “faster football” to maintain their domestic dominance while prioritising their pursuit of African glory.
Fortunately I’ve been around this space, and I’m able to adapt faster. It’s not like I’m going to a new environment where players don’t know me.
— Manqoba Mngqithi, Sundowns coach
It’s no one-man job
Mngqithi believes the coaching job can never be handled by one man, hence he prefers to be the head of Sundowns’ technical team — quite a shift from the previous two coaches, Pitso Mosimane and Mokwena, who left no doubt who was in charge.
Is this perhaps an aspect that has confused some Sundowns players, resulting in what could be described as subdued performances in the three competitive MTN8 matches they’ve played so far this season?
But looking back at the decorated tenure of Sundowns — after Mosimane was appointed in December 2012 to when Mngqithi and Mokwena co-coached (2020-2022) and when Mokwena took over from October 2022 until June 2024 — one glaring fact is that Sundowns hardly started a season like a house on fire.
This becomes evident when you look at the number of MTN8 trophies Sundowns have won since 2012. Only once (2021-2022) have Sundowns actually won that trophy, and ironically it was technically Mngqithi at the helm as he was the one taking final decisions when he co-coached with Mokwena.
Perhaps that stroke of luck was what prompted Mngqithi to say it’s only fair Sundowns becomes the first team to win the trophy when the MTN8 prize money was upped to R10m this season.
That Mngqithi didn’t fulfil that ambition, after his side was outfoxed by Steve Barker’s Stellenbosch FC in two legs of the semifinal, created doubt in some people’s minds about his suitability to “head” Masandawana’s technical team.
Handling expectations
But given the fact that Mngqithi has gained priceless experience over 11 years at Sundowns, it’s only fair that he’s given the benefit of the doubt.
He’s fully aware of the club’s two biggest ambitions — which is winning the Betway Premiership for a record-extending eighth time in a row, and capturing the Caf Champions League. “To be honest, it’s always been a high pressure environment,” says Mngqithi about being the Sundowns mentor.
“Fortunately I’ve been around this space, and I’m able to adapt faster. It’s not like I’m going to a new environment where players don’t know me. Players know I don’t like slow football. The moment the ball is played into space you’ll feel like you don’t want to play against us. I don’t want youngsters to get into the culture of wanting to get the ball to be played feet to feet, and they’re not running.”
Mngqithi’s philosophy, combined with what Mosimane and Mokwena taught players at Sundowns, could indeed spell trouble for whoever is going to face the Brazilians in the coming weeks. If the new scheme fails to deliver another league title or bring a Champions League gong to Chloorkop, there’s no doubt Mngqithi’s job will be on the line.
“What will help anyone in my position is to just give your best,” he says of the expectations that come with being a Sundowns coach.
“For me, to know how I can use coach Steve [Komphela] and all other assistants is very important. If all these people contribute their strengths and I also add mine, you have a completely different team. But more than anything, just inculcate a culture of winning and hard work.”
While it may be easy to implement his “faster football” in the Premiership, where opposition present a low block to Sundowns, a totally different approach may be required in the Champions League, where some teams show no respect, especially when they are at home with their fanatical supporters.
It’s very important that in our preparation phase we try to get opponents that have no respect for us, so that we prepare ourselves for that in the Champions League.
— Manqoba Mngqithi
Flexibility
Mngqithi insists there’s flexibility in how he wants his team to play. He will, for instance, never make the mistake of playing Al Ahly in Cairo as if they were facing AmaZulu in a Premiership match. “You know in the PSL that 99% of the teams are not going to come at you. They’re going to sit back and you must find solutions against a low block,” he says.
“But when you go to the Champions League, those are all big boys and everyone thinks they can take on anyone. In the Champions League teams are as competitive as you are and they also think they have a chance of beating you.”
Mngqithi cites, as an example, a South African team going to the Champions League thinking that having a tall target man would help. He says this could prove a futile exercise because most north African opponents — the teams playing in the Champions League — play against tall strikers all the time.
“They even know what makes this tall striker better than the others. That is what they’re comfortable with, they’re used to that. But the moment you bring a Sundowns team that has a Percy Tau, a Khama Billiat and that speed, it’s a completely different ball game for them.
“So it’s very important that in our preparation phase we try to get opponents that have no respect for us, so that we prepare ourselves for that in the Champions League.”
Sundowns first six Betway Premiership fixtures:
v SuperSport United [home], Sept 17; v Marumo Gallants [home], 24 Sept; v Kaizer Chiefs [away], 28 Sept; v Polokwane City [away], 27 Oct; v Cape Town City [home], 30 Oct; v Sekhukhune United [home], 9 Nov.
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