Mngqithi: No motivation needed for Kaizer Chiefs clash

Golden Arrows head coach Manqoba Mngqithi has suggested that his players will not need an extra push when they face Kaizer Chiefs this weekend, insisting the occasion itself will fuel their hunger.

Arrows are riding high after snatching a dramatic 2-1 victory over Magesi FC on Wednesday night at the King Zwelithini Stadium. 

It took a 95th-minute strike from Nqubeko Dlamini to complete the turnaround after the visitors had opened the scoring and threatened to leave Umlazi with all three points.

The win, hard-fought as it was, ensured Abafana Bes’thende are carrying momentum into one of their biggest fixtures of the season. 

Next on their agenda is a clash with an unbeaten Kaizer Chiefs outfit at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday — a venue where the Soweto giants are often backed by swathes of their travelling support.

Mngqithi, however, brushed aside concerns about rallying his players for such an occasion. He argued that motivation flows naturally when the opponent is Amakhosi.

“Going into the Chiefs game, I don’t think it’s up to me to motivate them unlike the game of Magesi,” Mngqithi said in his post-match address.

“Against Magesi I have to dig very deep just to make them understand how important it is to get three points but against Chiefs, the level of intrinsic motivation is very high. You must just try to control the anxiety because when the anxiety is that high, it’s an enemy of good technical execution.

“Yes, it’s a motivation that we have won this match, but even if we had lost three before facing Chiefs, the level of motivation is very high.”

The numbers support his confidence. Arrows did the double over Chiefs last season, and in their last five meetings with Amakhosi, they have suffered just one defeat. 

That record not only offers belief to his squad but also ensures Chiefs will approach this fixture with caution.

For Mngqithi, the concern is less about igniting passion and more about ensuring composure. 

He has long stressed that while his squad has the energy and enthusiasm to match bigger clubs, execution under pressure often separates victory from defeat.

Saturday’s showdown comes at a time when Chiefs are beginning to look more cohesive under Nasreddine Nabi. 

Still unbeaten this term, Amakhosi have shown resilience and organisation that has been missing in recent seasons, with a goalless draw against Mamelodi Sundowns in midweek viewed as a marker of their progress.

That adds another layer to the contest. Arrows, buoyed by late drama against Magesi, will want to prove they can once again be Chiefs’ bogey side. 

Chiefs, meanwhile, will be desperate to show that their upward trajectory under Nabi is not easily derailed.

With both sides carrying momentum into the clash, and with a packed Moses Mabhida expected, Saturday promises another chapter in what has quietly become one of the Betway Premiership’s intriguing modern rivalries.

And for Mngqithi, the job now is not to spark fire in his team, but to manage it.