Manqoba Mngqithi, Mamelodi Sundowns’ coach, has stated that their MTN8 semi-finals opponents Stellenbosch FC have not yet been destroyed by significant player departures to competitors.
Ahead of the first leg of the cup tie at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Wednesday night, the Downs coach said he expected Stellies to be a tough side even after captain Deano van Rooyen joined Orlando Pirates and striker Iqraam Rayners moved to Chloorkop.
Also bound for Europe and SV Ried is young winger Antonio van Wyk.
Why Stellenbosch FC will still be a force this season
Mngqithi provided detailed explanations for his point of view.
“They’ve grown in leaps and bounds as a team.
“One anticipated that they would do very well and one was proven right in that but at this stage, I think as a team they’ve really grown in leaps and bounds probably even in creating a nice pipeline for their team in terms of recruitment because when you see a player like Mojela [Lehlohonolo] in their team then you already know they anticipated that if they were to lose some of their key players, it will be important,” Mnqithi said.
“When they also brought in a player like Barns [Sanele], you know they are a team that understands itself and they always want to make sure that they are stronger in that space.
“Defensively they have not really lost much except the captain but they’ve got Jurgens [Kyle] who’s also very good in that space and already is a player that we all know what he’s capable of.”
Clever team to do well despite talent drain
Using their scouting network, Mngqithi was one of the few coaches who might have predicted that Stellies would soon be a contender for major honours.
He argues that they are likely to remain competitive this season.
“I think Stellenbosch has really done well in that regard because first as a team you need to understand yourselves and I think at Stellenbosch probably because they are also not changing coaches a lot, so they’ve got a very clear playing philosophy which is working for them.”
Will Stellenbosch FC win silverware this season?
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