The Brazilians’ tactician is adamant the South African heavyweights will eventually get their footing after a shaky Austria tour.
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi insists he was not worried about initial struggles in the pre-season.
The Premier Soccer League champions started their Austria tour with back-to-back losses against German third-tier side SV Sandhausen and Dynamo Kyiv before drawing with English Championship side Cardiff.
However, Masandawana ended their Europe tour with wins against Al Arabi SC and Al Hila respectively. As opposed to the initial games, the Brazilians did well and looked comfortable in the last two friendly matches.
‘Sundowns were fatigued after a long trip'
Mngqithi, who is set to be confirmed as Rulani Mokwena's successor, was not disappointed with the way the team started the tour.
He then went on to explain why he feels the team delivered and soon they will hit greater heights very soon.
“To be honest, I was not even sad with the first two [losses] because I think in the first match, the team played very badly because they were heavy; maybe it was a long trip, with activation a day after and then playing a match,” the 53-year-old told the media.
“I think that was a little bit suicidal, that's why we were a little bit flat. But the Kyiv loss, to me, was not a loss because in that match I thought our application was very good and we created a lot of good moments.
“That's when I really started seeing our structure coming in, and the work of the coaches and our conditioning department was also there because, if you watched how this team ran today, it shows we were building up,” Mngqithi continued.
“It would have been nice to still have one or two more games here to see how far we'd go, but we are going home with a very strong belief that the team is getting together, and in my honest opinion, I think we are almost there.”
Onyango to get more games?
Last season, 39-year-old legendary Ugandan goalkeeper Denis Onyango played nine games across all competitions and kept seven clean sheets. Bafana Bafana custodian Ronwen Williams was the preferred choice.
The latter has been out owing to a shoulder injury, with the veteran custodian getting chances to show his worth. Mngqithi has shared his view.
“It was very nice to see Denis back because he had a hand injury, so we were not too sure whether he would be able to make it, and when he came in, he showed his class,” the former AmaZulu tactician continued.
“He showed his level with the save from the header of [Aleksander] Mitrovic, and also his penalty save, so we are very proud to have such a legend within our team because it shows the quality we have in the absence of Ronwen Williams,” he concluded.
Sundowns will start their quest to win titles next season when they play Polokwane City in the MTN8 quarter-final scheduled for August 11.
