Manqoba Mngqithi 'so keen' to see Betway Premiership title race unfold

Arrows were on the receiving end of a 5-0 walloping at the hands of second-placed Pirates at Orlando Amstel Arena last night, with Mngqithi suffering his heaviest defeat since returning to the Durban based outfit over a year ago.

But with Mamelodi Sundowns having also claimed a win away at Durban City, the Buccaneers continue to hunt The Brazilians, and the former Downs mentor has admitted he is enjoying the excitement of this race from where he is seated.

"I don't know whether it will be decided on the last day so I can't talk about that but what I can say, I like the competition and I've said before that I like the competition that Pirates have bought into the championship,” Mngqithi said. 

“So far so good but we still have so many games. It's just interesting to note that this season, normally when we come into this stage of the season, there is one team that is already leading 12, 13 points and that's why you are even starting to believe that it will be decided in the last match when we still have seven games to play. 

“The reality is, there is still 21 points out there and there is a lot that can still happen but it excites everyone in South Africa who follows football to see this pressure that is imposed by Pirates on Sundowns and I'm so keen to see what's going to happen."

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While an excuse may have been apt in the situation, Mngqithi instead gave a frank assessment of the match, including kudos to the opposing bench led by Abdeslam Ouaddou for the clinical display on the night.

"I think it was just a bad day at the office today, from the beginning we did not look the way I expected, moments where we'll try to keep possession but when it comes to the final third we were very indecisive,” the coach added.

“We got a chance very early in the game with Maxwele [Ayabulela], we also got another one with Sibiya [Nduduzo] but he decided to pass but Pirates ran stronger than us,” the coach explained.

“They were very powerful off the ball, they worked very hard and credit must be given to their technical team. I think the team worked very hard and it made our life very difficult. 

“It exposed our frailties in terms of the energy because I think they were hungrier than us. They created scoring opportunities from situations that we had analysed and strangely even from individuals that we had analysed in those pockets and those areas of the pitch.

“But unfortunately we were just not at our best and I don't think we were hungry enough in this game. I think they won the match because they deserved it, it's just sad that it was five."