Manqoba Mngqithi sends message to sceptics after MTN8 exit

The Brazilians struggled to get past the stubborn defense and goalkeeper Sage Stephens, even though it wasn’t for the lack of trying.

In responding to critics who are starting to write Downs off ahead of the Betway Premiership campaign, Mngqithi had this to say.

"What I can say, South Africa is a very interesting country, let me just start there. It's a very interesting country because everybody else has got an opinion in anything but it just does not start there,” Mngqithi said.

“If you look at our country, sometimes the best information comes from the so-called illiterate because in the villages if you get an old man who can advise you, he will give you the best advice than probably somebody who is more literate.

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The same country sometimes when we struggle with traffic, we are helped by the street kids because they've got more experience on what is happening on that particular road than even the traffic cops because they know where the traffic comes from more, which is why they are able to help us.

“Sometimes you are helped by people who have failed in their life because they come with very good opinions that help you and make you a better person and they have failed to take care of their own lives but if they talk probably about football you will realise that there's always something to learn from them.

So, the uniqueness of the country makes you to accept that everybody has got an opinion and sometimes that opinion, regardless of where it comes from, it may be the best opinion."

Sundowns are still yet to score from their three MTN8 fixtures this season, which is notable given their firepower upfront.

But Mngqithi is not pressing any panic buttons.

"I don't think there's any train smash at Sundowns, it's only normal sometimes not to score. If you look at the games that we have played, all of them, you look at possession, you look at most of the numbers and the matrix in the game, they will tell you that these people are just goals away from getting the results but when you don't score your goals and the chances that you got in front of goals which means you've created a lot of chances," he explained.