Yanga head coach Manqoba Mngqithi says his squad is ready for a tough and competitive encounter against Coastal Union in the second round of the NBC Premier League.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of Thursday’s match, which will kick off at 6:30 p.m. at KMC Complex, Mngqithi said he is aware of the quality of their opponents, analysing the strengths of individual players while also praising the Coastal Union coach.
“We are going to play against a coach who knows exactly what he wants from his team. He has built a very good side, particularly in terms of the way they play. They have very good left-footed players, such as Andrew and Kichuya. It is a very good team. I watched their last three matches, including the one against Yanga last season.”
“Coastal Union are a team we need to be very careful against. I have watched their goalkeeper Juma, their centre-backs are not bad, and their central midfielders, Godfrey and Ally, also played well in their previous match.”
“They are a highly competitive team. They are strong in aerial situations because their forwards are tall. We know the team we are going to face, and we know the qualities they possess.”
“There is a difference between building a team and managing a team. At this early stage of building the team, we have to face challenges. But as time goes on, we will establish our first-choice squad,” Mngqithi said.
Responding to a journalist who asked how he would manage star players with big reputations, including Stephane Aziz Ki, Peter Shalulile and others, Mngqithi said he is an experienced coach and does not expect that to pose any problems.
“As for managing players with big names, that is not a challenge for me. I have worked in environments like this before. I have 15 years of experience working with big teams under pressure and with major ambitions. So, that will not be a problem for me here.”
