Major concerns for Golden Arrows ahead of Swallows trip

Abafana Bes’thende were knocked out of the Nedbank Cup by rivals Royal AM on Saturday with goalkeeper Siyabonga Mbatha taken off due to injury and the defensive pairing a makeshift arrangement because of the regulars not yet fully fit.

Vilakazi says they have their work cut out. 

"It's a worrying factor, going into a new week we must prepare accordingly. I know we were unfortunate with our pairing of defenders; this is Nxadi's (Ntsikelelo) second game coming from a long-term injury and Themba (Mantshiyane) is not a centre back, he's a left back. We are trying to work with what we have at this particular time," he said.

There are eight games to go and Arrows desperately need to pick up points to move away from the relegation zone, although they are six points above bottom side Marumo Gallants.

The coach says the forced changes are detrimental.

"We are not giving up; we need to put our heads up especially as the technical staff in terms of working with our players. We need to be patient since we are looking at the bigger picture of trying to secure a decent position on the log table," he added.

Vilakazi also wants to see the killer instinct restored in the Arrows team in the next run of games in the league. 

"As much as we will be focusing on our defensive structure, we must also deal with the psychological aspect of our players and instil a winning mentality. So, now we must focus on the league because we must go for a kill whether we like it or not," he concluded.