Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi has had his counterpart Clinton Larsen from Magesi FC commending him ahead of the two teams' historic cup final.
Magesi will take on Sundowns at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein next Saturday in the very first meeting between them, and Larsen has commended Mngqithi for the changes made at the league champions to improve the team this season.
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While many will be keeping an eye on the top flight rookies from Limpopo to see if they have a surprise in store for the Tshwane giants for the continuation of their giant-killing spree in the competition, having defeated Orlando Pirates, TS Galaxy and Richards Bay FC on their way to the final, Larsen says he is wary of the change in approach for the Brazilians in troubling teams under Mngqithi.
"I think it's the same dominance of the Sundowns team of the last five, six or seven seasons. They are still a dominant team, and maybe a few adjustments have been made in the way they attack teams now. They've got a lot more pace in their team when you look at (Tashreeq) Matthews and (Iqraam) Rayners and all these players that have come in…, (Lucas) Ribeiro and others. You look at the quality they've got in their attack, and I think the coaches have done a great job in not being so predictable as maybe they were in the past when they were solely a possession-based team," said Larsen, speaking exclusively to the Siya crew.
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"They've mixed up their game a lot more now in terms of being a lot more direct at certain moments in the game. But they're still by far the best team in terms of possession. Even in the game against Marumo Gallants, they bossed possession in that game, so it just goes to prove that they're still the force they have always been, and it's just that from what I have seen there are certain moments in the game where they can be very direct with balls over the top and with line-breaking runs from the attacking players. This is an element that I think the coach should be complemented on in terms of using this group of players so effectively," the coach said.
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By Masebe Qina
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