Posted on December 21, 2010 09:53
In what we hope will be a regular feature,Head Coach Manqoba Mnqithi writes a special column for us.In this column Mnqithi reflects on Sunday`s revatilising win against Mpumalanga Black Aces at home, whilst simultenously looking forward to the crunch away encounter against Mamelodi Sundowns.
This is how it went:
More than anything else right now we need to be more positive, as a team we’ve gone a long way without good results and that was beginning to affect our confidence.
At times when we think we should have kept position we were already thinking of throwing the ball away because we were thinking that maybe the opponents may come back, so a good result it was for us on Sunday.
This result will change the psychological outlook of the players generally, and it has restored their belief in themselves once more.In football and all other sporting codes, it is very crucial to be psychologically well-adjusted, because if you as a team, or coach is not positive and begin to doubt your ability you will not perform as you would like.
This absence of self-confidence from the guys was showing, for example, in the instances when Belix (Bukasa Kasonga) would just kick the ball forward when you’d think its a chance to play the ball and get out of that tight situation.
Pere would do the same, Jomo lost too many balls in situations that would be considered as simple in a team that is confident.
When you’re not confident you lose not because you are not playing well but because psychologically you’re positioning is too defensive.
If we believe that we have the potential to score more and win matches convincingly we would be able to play a different type of football from the way we played against Aces.
I hope that the first column was a good read for you, and i take this opportunity to wish you and your families a Merry Christmas, and a prosperous New Year, may you realise all your desires in 2011.