Mngqithi expects most PSL teams to 'park the bus' against Sundowns

09 September 2022 - 14:38
By SITHEMBISO DINDI
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi during the club's trophy appreciation day at Mamelodi Mall on May 31 in Pretoria.
Image: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi during the club's trophy appreciation day at Mamelodi Mall on May 31 in Pretoria.

Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Maqoba Mngqithi expects more PSL teams to “park the bus” when they play against them, but says they have a plan to break them down.

A few PSL teams have opted to employ reinforced defence strategies where most of their players stay at the back in a bid to avoid a defeat by the dangerous Masandawana.

Chippa United were the most recent side to employ the strategy, but still lost 1-0 thanks to a late goal by Peter Shalulile.  

“It’s what we always anticipate; we are going to have more than 80% of matches played with a very low block and this is what has been happening throughout the season,” Mngqithi said.

“Sometimes even some of the big teams resort to the strategy against us and we are always preparing our team for that.  

“And we do create opportunities that we want to create, because our wish is to always break the game down very early which I think is what happened in our game against Kaizer Chiefs.

“Very early in the game we had already put them on the sword and after that they had to come out.

“But if you bury those early chances that you get, then the game changes complexion and it becomes difficult for the team that had planned to sit back when they now have to open up.”

Mngqithi said Sundowns will likely be able to play a normal game if they reach the Caf Champions League quarter-finals where they will meet teams who are attack-minded like them.

“We believe we’ve got a team that is capable of breaking these matches down. This is what we know for a fact that we are going to throughout the season.

“It will only change maybe from the quarter-finals of the Champions League, but we know this is what we have to expect.”

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