Analyst berates Maduka’s coaching style, says he needs to improve

Popular local football analyst Siphiwe “Dr Mnandi” Mkhoza has berated John Maduka saying his coaching style is outdated and that is why he failed at Maritzburg United. 

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Maduka was fired by the KwaZulu-Natal side after a run of bad results that saw the team stuck in the wrong end of the DStv Premiership standings. 

Maritzburg re-hired Fadlu Davids as Maduka’s replacement and the team have done well since then going on a three game winning streak. 

Speaking on SAfm’s Sport On with Thabiso Mosia on Monday, Mkhonza, who is a former professional player, said Maduka needs to improve himself. 

“You know, I do not want to undermine Maduka,” said Mkhonza who is a former Kaizer Chiefs and Maritzburg player and now an analyst with SABC Sport. 

“He is a coach and I am a coach too. But I have always looked at the setup of his teams and questioned them. 

“Not that I am undermining him but I always question that because sometimes we need to be honest, some teams are not coached. 

“And we can see it because that is our job as analysts to identify those dynamics. I watched Royal AM under Maduka. 

‘Qualifications don’t make the coach’

“In fact from Celtic, I always said ‘no, no, no, Maduka needs to improve in terms of his coaching’. 

“Sometimes we have these coaching badges and we think having them makes us complete coaches… 

“I have watched all of Maduka’s teams and the first thing I thought was that he needs to improve.” 

He said Maduka was given free reign to bring in the players he wanted but he still could not make the team play with them. 

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Mkhonza said Davids has come in and made a huge difference with the same players Maduka had at his disposal and failed. 

“Look at how Fadlu came in and things changed. Maduka had the opportunity to sign the players he wanted. 

“But he struggled with those players he wanted. Fadlu comes in with the same players. And look at what he is doing with them. 

“It does not take coaching from the tactical aspect only. You also need the physiology, the psychology and sports science which Fadlu understands. 

“As a coach you are no longer coaching, you are managing players. You are dealing with professionals, you are dealing with players who are very intelligent. 

“So sometimes you can’t fool the players and say things are like this when they are not like that.”