Marumo Gallants head coach Dan Malesela believes their next contest against Mamelodi Sundowns might be the right high-profile fixture for his side to grab their first win of the season.
The experienced mentor has seen his team open the 2024/2025 season with consecutive defeats against Kaizer Chiefs and Golden Arrows.
Bahlabane Ba Ntwa fell 2-0 at the feet of Abafana Bes’thende on Saturday, but have a short turnaround time before they have to take to the field against the Brazilians tomorrow (5.30pm start) at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
Speaking to the media at the Mpumalanga Stadium in Hammarsdale, a visibly frustrated Malesela expressed that his side’s next opponent might be the catalyst to improved results in the future.
FULL TIME
— Lamontville Golden Arrows FC (@goldenarrowsfc1) September 21, 2024
It's another successful encounter as we collect 3 points in our first home game of the season agains t Marumo Gallants
Lamontville Golden Arrows (40'Mutizwa, 45' Sibiya) 2-0 Marumo Gallants#SthendeWay #GreenAndGold #10betGoldenArrows #BetwayPrem pic.twitter.com/5dbRSaKzSt
“It will probably give them confidence (facing Sundowns). We need to start winning somewhere ... it doesn’t matter against who,” he said.
The 59-year-old has seen his team give two performances good enough to win football games, but have no points to show for it at this stage.
Malesela has, over the years, been known to mould any side to be an extension of his personality, with his previous stints at Chippa United, TS Galaxy and Baroka etched in the hearts of football lovers.
He believes in a total football approach that’s firmly based on ball retention, possession and close-knitted passing to create goalscoring opportunities and control games, something which Masandawana have been able to perfect in recent years.
Many have often imagined what the ex-Sundowns man would be able to achieve if allowed to manage a squad of better quality.
Yellow Nation, #RabatsenaGape on Tuesday! 💪#Sundowns #TotalEnergiesCAFCL pic.twitter.com/KmMkb1fEfs
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) September 22, 2024
He explained that the only thing missing at this point from his Gallants side is the efficiency in the final third of the pitch, and detailed his beliefs around the philosophy he’s held onto for years.
“Let’s convert the many chances we create, and this football will be ‘totalised’. If your mind is fixated on scoring goals, then you will score goals – but if you just want to keep possession, (you will not),” he said.
“People misinterpret me ... that’s not what I advocate. We keep possession so we can open up gaps to score goals. We keep possession so the opponents don’t threaten us in any way.
“This is professional football: you cannot play for fun. My only problem with the players at the moment is the intent. The results are not a representation of how we’ve been playing.”
If Gallants are to somehow bounce back against Sundowns, it would be in record-breaking fashion, having never beaten the defending champions in four previous top-flight meetings.
In fact, the Limpopo-based side have lost all four in both league and cup encounters, while conceding eight goals in the process.