A former Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder has revealed his honest feelings about the club’s first match under the the tutelage of Manqoba Mngqithi.
The 53-year-old coach was appointed the Brazilians head coach following Rulani Mokwena’s departure upon the club’s return for the 2024/25 season.
Masandawana secured a 1-0 hard-fought win against Polokwane City in the Nedbank Cup quarterfinal on Sunday.
Former Sundowns midfielder Papi Mbhele says he was impressed with Bafana Ba Style’s first match of the season, noting that their performance reflected only slight changes from their previous style of play.
He emphasised that it is important to recognize the high expectations surrounding the Tshwane giants, especially in light of Mokwena's departure.
FORMER SUNDOWNS MIDFIELDER’S IMPRESSION OF MNGQITHI’S FIRST GAME
“There's always a first game; it's about checking where can we fix; according to the Sundowns coach, some players were not available for the Polokwane City game,” Mbhele tells KickOff.
“I'm personally impressed; there are no major changes in terms of structure and identity; they were playing as they were used to.
“The only difference was Jody February playing long balls, which is something we are not used to at Sundowns; you have to be confident as a player.
“We were also playing the long ball behind the Polokwane City defense. You cannot instruct Themba Zwane to play crosses, that's not how Sundowns play.
“Remember, first games after pre-season are always difficult; Sundowns managed 90+ minutes with 10 players. Hence, they came with professionalism that nobody understood, including myself.
“After the red card, the players came up with a solution that didn't involve the coaches; if Denis Onyango was directly replaced, we were going to play with nine players.
“Most of the teams learned a lot from what Sundowns did on Sunday; once your goalkeeper gets a red card, don't rush to substitute an onfield player because that will leave you with nine players.
“People will always expect a lot from Sundowns especially since Rulani Mokwena left.”
