Mamelodi Sundowns have thrown down a gauntlet to Kaizer Chiefs ahead of Sunday’s MTN8 quarterfinal, with co-head coach Manqoba Mngqithi suggesting that if Amakhosi are truly a big team, they will have to come out and match Masandawana toe-to-toe at the Lucas Moripe Stadium.
“We believe they will come at us, when two big teams play, you don’t expect anyone to sit back. If that is the case (they come at us), we will have a special match,” said Mngqithi, in what could be seen as bait to Stuart Baxter’s Amakhosi.
Baxter’s teams are known, for one, for their ability on the counter-attack, and not necessarily for being sides that throw caution to the wind.
So this could easily be seen as gamesmanship from a man who was also not exactly effusive with his praise when Gavin Hunt’s Chiefs beat Sundowns 2-1 in the DStv Premiership in April, the Tshwane giants’ only league defeat of last seaon.
“I honestly don’t think this is the team that should have taken away our unbeaten record. I don’t think they fought hard enough to make the game difficult for us … I believe we lost to ourselves,” said Mngqithi at the time.
“I am thinking, based in the media that he (Baxter) is … coming out guns blazing,” continued Mngqithi this week, singling out Chiefs striker Samir Nurkovic as a man who thrives on attack rather than on a counter.
“They want to reassume the status of the biggest team in the country. And playing on the counter-attack means not taking the initiative. We know they are good on transition … (but) we know Nurkovic must play and if they want to play counter attack, Nurkovic will forever be late in the penalty area. If they play proper build-up (it will be better for Nurkovic) and Stuart can do that. He is a very good coach and I have a lot of respect for him.”
The MTN8, meanwhile, is a tournament that Sundowns have failed in over the years, by their standards. They have not won it, in fact, since it changed its name to the MTN8, last winning the competition in the last year of the SAA Supa8 in 2007.
“In the seven years I have been here, Sundowns have struggled with this cup, and we are going all out to make sure we finally become winners. The first step is Chiefs,” added Mngqithi.
