Mngqithi warns Sundowns need ‘focus and mentality’ against Mbabane Swallows

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi is guarding against the Mbabane Swallows banana peel. 

The Brazilians take on the Eswatini champions in their Champions League final preliminary round clash at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday (8pm) and while their star-studded combination should have no issues earning a win, a priority is also to avoid an embarrassing defeat. 

Swallows, who are playing their home match in South Africa because there is no suitable venue in Eswatini, are not reputable on the continent but Mngqithi said playing against these so-called small teams can be tricky.

Speaking at Chloorkop on Thursday afternoon, Mngqithi called on his players to show maximum respect to their opposition, have a strong mentality and be focused. 

“To be honest, for me it is never about setting the tone [for the rest of the season] but it is about winning a football match,” he said. 

“It is important to respect the opponents and not go into a game with a preconceived idea this is a game where we need to stamp our authority. We go into the game with an open mind, lots of respect and humility. 

“We play against every opposition with the same respect you would give if you were playing against Al Ahly or Esperance because the game of football requires that. 

“It is worse with matches where everybody expects you to win, those are games that are the most difficult because sometimes players lack intrinsic motivation. They rely more on coaches and senior players like Dennis [Onyango] to make them aware that you cannot take this game for granted because anything can happen. 

“The suffering of Pirates [in the Champions League against Botswana's Jwaneng Galaxy last season] was not because of their lack of quality but more on the mentality of the players and how much they wanted to win the match. 

“It happens a lot when you play against these so-called small teams in the Nedbank Cup and you will know many teams have suffered against those so-called smaller opponents. 

“It is because of the mentality, not because these smaller opponents were exceptionally good. When the mentality is not right, you end up not doing well and if there is anything I would worry about going into this match it is mentality and focus.” 

Mngqithi said they had discussions behind the scenes on having the right approach to the game.

“I think the reason we didn't win against Stellenbosch [in their two-legged MTN8 semifinal] is not that we didn't have the capacity to win, it was more about mentality and focus. If mentality and focus are not where they are supposed to be you will always be punished in those type of matches. 

“You will always be second in every duel and late in every combat. It will show the state of mind and that you didn't show enough respect to the opponents. That, for me, is the most important thing that can happen in matches like these. 

“The dynamics of every match will always create problems if you come in with the mentality of thinking you are going to score a lot of goals. The game itself will tell which direction it wants to take. 

“I remember in an MTN8 match in the past where we went to play against Bloemfontein Celtic. Everybody thought we were going to score lots of goals and have a good start to the season but we lost by five goals.”