Sundowns coach reveals major dislike

Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi has revealed his dislike of matches such as this weekend's Nedbank Cup, where his side are seen as favourites to win.

Sundowns take on Marumo Gallants in the 2022 Nedbank Cup final set to be played at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, North West this evening.

The Brazilians, who have already bagged the DStv Premiership and MTN8 this season, are gunning for a domestic treble, and therefore are expected to overcome a Gallants side that ended 10th in the league.

But this level of expectation is a massive potential pitfall, according to Mngqithi, as it requires a different sort of motivation for the players, who may respond adversely under pressure.

"To be honest, these are some of the matches that I don't like, and I think I once shared this before," Mngqithi told the media.

"Matches where you are expected to win, and everybody looks at you as the favourites to win, are very difficult because you have a responsibility as a coach to intrinsically motivate the players,"

"Once it's intrinsic motivation, it stands the chance of creating a lot of anxiety within you, and once you are too anxious you are most likely to make very silly mistakes.

"When you are playing with a lot of anxiety, it's the biggest enemy of precision, so for me, that is the only concern that I have."

By Mazola Molefe