OPINION: Mamelodi Sundowns fans getting edgy

If you’ve never got it wrong in football, then you haven’t been in the game long enough.

Coaches and pundits alike all get it wrong from time to time. It’s all part and parcel of the beautiful game.

I was bold in my prediction that Mamelodi Sundowns will be a lot more enterprising under coach Manqoba Mngqithi this season.

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My comments came on the back of his promise of high octane football under his leadership following the departure of former head coach Rulani Mokwena.

He painted pictures with words and I foresaw beautiful football with a lot of goals. After all, the show of confidence in Mngqithi was also not without a foundation.

Golden Arrows played entertaining football under his watch and they did so with less-fancied players.

Who can forget Abafana Bes’thende’s historic 6-0 demolition of Ajax Cape Town in the 2009 MTN8 final?

As neutral, I was salivating at the prospect of the 53-year-old employing a more attacking philosophy with the cream of talent at his disposal. 

I’d be the first to admit that it’s still early days and historically, Sundowns have always struggled in the MTN8 Cup competition. But I’d be worried if I was a Sundowns fan after watching the three games against Polokwane City and Stellenbosch FC (two legs). 

Something needs to change at Sundowns

At the moment, my prediction is far from reality and the picture looks bleak. Something needs to change and it needs to change fast. Over 180 minutes of football without a goal doesn’t paint a good picture at all.

It’s also hard to identify with the style of play adopted by the Tshwane giants. That is a huge concern because it’s not often that you’d hear anyone saying that about Sundowns.

Not a lot has changed from the playing personnel but the football is not easy on the eye. It looks like the squad haven’t bought into the new ideas yet.

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The FIFA International break couldn’t have come at the right time for coach Mngqithi and his technical team. They need to go back to the drawing board and flip the script because Masandawana faithful won’t tolerate such lacklustre performances for too long.