Lamontville Golden Arrows’ new coach Mandla Ncikazi lost his first game in charge on Saturday as they were beaten 1-0 by AmaZulu, saying desperation caught up with his side once they fell behind.
Thando Ngwenya’s 65th minute strike for the home team proved the difference in KwaMashu even if Arrows enjoyed the lion’s share of possession.
“It was a typical derby … without supporters … but in terms of the intensity on the field,” said Ncikazi after the match.
He has returned to the club he coached to fourth place in the 2020/01 season after five years on the staff at Orlando Pirates and had been hoping for a positive start to his new job.
“It would have been nice to win, but I thought we were beaten on what we were prepared for. That becomes a disappointment.
“I said to the team, ‘what will be important is what we do when we don't have the ball’. “First off, I don't think we created chances. We still have that sickness in front of goal,” Ncikazi added of Arrows’ poor league goalscoring record. They have netted three times in nine matches this season.
“When I came here, I knew that the stats were saying eight games played, three goals scored. So already I had the concern that activity in the last third is not good. It was also saying that we have dropped drastically, in terms of touches in the box, forward passes;, all the offensive stats have dropped.
“You have one eye on that, but you also don't want to compromise your defensive play,” Ncikazi added.
“I thought we did well in the game, until we got desperate. First half, not too many chances. Second half, I thought we were the better team, we created better chances. But if you don't score, this becomes the sickness and you become desperate. Arrows are known for good football, but they're also known for creation of chances and scoring, and that's the biggest challenge I have right now.”