‘These minutes that we give them are an opportunity for them to get a full match while we try to rest other players,’ said the Sundowns head coach.
Embattled Royal AM’s Netway Premiership trip to Tshwane to face reigning champions Mamelodi Sundowns couldn’t have come at a worse time.
The free-scoring Brazilians are in a rampant mood ahead of Wednesday night’s league clash at Loftus Versveld after their 5-0 demolition of Golden Arrowson Saturday. Thwihli Thwahla have never beaten Sundowns in seven previous attempts.
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Royal AM, who are also without a win in four league matches, head into the game on the back of a demoralising 3-0 loss to Cape Town City in the Carling Knockout.
Manqoba Mngqithi’s charges are firing on all cylinders with some key players back in top form.
Mngqithi has welcomed the return of hard man Mothobi Mvala who is also back from the treatment table and marked his first game of the season with a goal in what was a display of force against a helpless Arrows.
“He’s (Mvala) one of our best defenders and a very important player for us in the Champions League. It’s important to give him that opportunity to get himself back into the national team because we believe he’s a very good defender … one of the best in the country,” Mngqithi said.
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“I said to him ‘hey, you’re no longer scoring but when you were at Highlands Park, you were not giving us a chance and you scored in almost every game we played against you’ To see him scoring again after coming back from injury is going to be a complete boost for him going forward.”
Former Orlando Pirates star Thembinkosi Lorch is also back from injury and made a positive impact off the bench in the game against Arrows, much to the satisfaction of Mngqithi.
“It’s really pleasing to see substitutes pushing to show what they have because we’ve got so many matches. These minutes that we give them are an opportunity for them to get a full match while we try to rest other players that are more established within the group,” said Mngqithi.
“It was really pleasing to see how the players showed hunger to perform. I was also pleased to see Lorch showing hunger, the level of intensity, the running off the ball, trying to get into good positions and also having an assist. For me that is exactly what I want from an offensive player and I was very excited.”
