Pitso Dladla demands more after Sundowns defeat

06.09.26 FT South African Betway Premiership

Lamontville Golden Arrows

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Mamelodi Sundowns FC

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Golden Arrows head coach Pitso Dladla has urged his troops to up the ante following their 2-1 defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns in the Betway Premiership at King Zwelithini Stadium over the weekend.

The KwaZulu-Natal outfit succumbed to goals from former talisman Siyanda Ndlovu and Teboho Mokoena in either half, while marksman Sede Dion scored his third goal against the Brazilians in the last three meetings.

While Abafana Bes'thende have proved capable of giving the reigning African champions a run for their money, Dladla demands more in a bid to avoid becoming a side that plays a good brand of football without yielding any results.

“To be honest, we spoke about it as a team that we don't want to become a team that plays well but at the end of the day we don't win the game, no, we don't want to become such a team,” said the Arrows boss.

"We spoke as the technical team, management, and the players. It's going to be difficult to swallow it [Sundowns defeat], but we need to demand more from everyone - from the technical team, from the medical team, performance department, and the players.

"We need to be the winning team, we must have a winning mentality for us to do well. So, we can't be happy that we're playing well but we're not winning games, no.

The former Durban City mentor, however, is pleased with how his charges pushed Sundowns to the limit in their three encounters, and says the biggest challenge is maintaining the mental fortitude against the rest of the pack.

“What we got right in these games, as much as we're disappointed with the results, is the mentality. The mentality was very good even during preparations leading up to this game. There was also a Stellenbosch game in between that we won,” Dladla added.

"The only thing that is important for us is to be consistent in terms of the mentality, in terms of wanting the game more than the opponents, in terms of covering more distance than the opponents.

"So, we can't have a situation whereby we are committed like this with so much desire, and then we go and play other teams and then we become complacent - that is the biggest challenge that we have to conquer going forward.

Arrows, sitting ninth with six points from five matches, swing back to action with a Betway Premiership clash against embattled Siwelele FC at Free State Stadium on Sunday, 13 September.

Hlayisani Magoro

Editorfr, en

Football journalist from South Africa covering African football news, exclusive stories and key events while sharing insights with passionate fans of the game.

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