Following their bright start to the 2024/25 season, Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Manqoba Mngqithi commented on whether he feels vindication for shaking things up at the Brazilians this campaign.
From the time he was instated as the club's head coach, Mngqithi has been steadily shaking things up.
Mngqithi was clear that the team would play a different formation this campaign, thus introducing the element of transitional play and in the process, losing their possession-based dominance seen in seasons gone by. He also introduced the use of out-and-out wingers, which is something the club has done away with in recent years.
In addition, a number of players like Mosa Lebusa and Siphelele Mkhulise amongst others, who were largely on the periphery last season like were given a chance this campaign, while regulars like Teboho Mokoena and Khuliso Mudau have to fight for their place in the starting XI.
These changes or adjustments as he calls it, raised eyebrows amongst a faction of the club's fans, particularly because the club was one match short of invincibility last season.
However, Mngqithi insists that he did not change anything about the team, rather, he added to the solid foundation that was built by his predecessor, Rulani Mokwena.
"I think it was ignorance from the beginning to think that we have changed anything, because I think we added, we did not change anything," he told journalists after their 2-1 win against Kaizer Chiefs.
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"And sometimes we live in a society where people jump into conclusions before they even ask. You end up having situations where people think there's something that has happened and yet there's nothing. Because the truth was, we wanted to improve the speed of play because we were a team that was not strong on transitions. We were a team that was not strong on break attacks. We were a team that did not have maximum width. And we have to improve those aspects because they are fundamentally important to the success of any football and because our society has got a lot of people that jump into conclusions and they don't even bother to ask so that they have answers, they immediately use their pen and paper to write whatever they like. So I don't even think I'm vindicated because I've never changed anything - I've added [to it].
"I've been in this institution for so many years and I know what has gone right, what has gone wrong and I know areas that need to be improved and also commend the good work that my predecessor did because there was a lot of work that coach Rulani [Mokwena] did, which is good, and is helping the same club that is there now, and if I was stupid or ignorant or having a low self-esteem, then I would call the direction of wanting to change and bring my own things, but I never had that as my intent. It was baffling to hear people talking, the way they talked," he added.
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