Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi is of the view that a lot of players in South Africa are overrated, and the gap between the Betway Premiership and National First Division is very narrow.
The coach expressed this view ahead of Sundowns’ much-anticipated Carling Knockout final against giant slayers Magesi FC on Saturday evening. The game will get underway at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein at 6pm.
Magesi, who gained automatic promotion to the Premier Soccer League (PSL), have had a dream start to life in the topflight as they find themselves in the final of a cup competition in their debut season.
Worried about the standard of the PSL
The Limpopo-based outfit booked its place in the final after going past cup specialists Orlando Pirates, TS Galaxy and Richards Bay. They achieved the feat with most players that they used in the NFD last season. This is a phenomenon that has since gotten Mngqithi worried about the standard of the PSL Premiership.
“We must be worried about our football because the gap between the NFD and the PSL is very small. Sometimes the gap between the ABC Motsepe League and the PSL can also be small,” Mngqithi said.
“I’ve seen a lot of games, and I’ve seen, sometimes I even say, a lot of players in South Africa overrated. Because when you look at them very closely, let me just give you Magesi for an example. You look at that squad. It was their NFD squad.
“Yes, Magesi [have] players who have played in the PSL before. But it is the team that they had in the NFD last season, and they are a very strong team.
“That is a very strong team. When … I can bring you a big team and put it in front of you here, and say ‘man on man, one by one, look at this and look at that’. And I say which of the two is stronger than the other? Then you will be surprised.
Development of youngsters lacking
“Maybe the teams that are at the bottom are working harder. Because that’s another issue in South Africa. There are also a lot of players that have this entitlement that they are playing in the PSL. But they are not working hard enough for their salaries.”
Mngqithi also stressed about the lack of investment in the technical side of things, especially from the big teams.
“The reality in South African football is that we are not too worried about what happens technically. But [we worry] about everything else that is happening outside the pitch. That is why we are not even bothered with the development of youngsters.
More work needs to be done
“And that is going to be detrimental to many teams. Because a lot of big things are still going to happen in the country where you will see big teams fighting relegation. And you start saying, ‘what is happening?’ Because the gap is very small.
“So, there are many, many things that you can look at. But believe me, we have a lot of work to do.
“We should try and invest a little bit more in our coaching, on our coaches. And maybe employ more people that can add value technically in the game. We must make sure that technically we leave no stone unturned,” he added.
