Durban — The commencement of the 2022/2023 campaign is about two weeks away now and Premier Soccer League (PSL) clubs are putting final touches on plans ahead of what is expected to be a difficult season.
Golden Arrows have opted to venture into the unknown in terms of technical team structure and have appointed Mabhuti Khenyeza and Vusumuzi Vilakazi as co-coaches, a trend seemingly growing in South Africa.
Both Khenyeza and Vilakazi are sons of the Arrows brands having both played for the club before stepping into coaching. However, Khenyeza has dismissed all issues of sentiments and believes results are going to be the determining factor in terms of success for him and Vilakazi.
"This is a great opportunity for us but we can't be happy about being in this position and not delivering results at the end of the day," he told members of the media.
"We need to prove why we're in this position to begin with and the only way to do that is by getting results so that's the type of conversation me and him( Vilakazi) are having all the time."
The duo initially took over on an interim basis in the final stretch of last season following the dismissal of coach Lehlohonolo Seema.
Under the mentorship of the pair, Arrows lost just one of their final six matches, claiming two victories and three draws, missing out on a top eight position on goal difference.
Khenyeza has highlighted the importance of working on the psyche of his players in order for them to continue the work they began in the latter stages of the last campaign.
"It's just a matter of working on the mentality of the players before anything else because if a player doesn't have mental strength then they can't do anything," he explained.
"We need to be able to tap into their brains and systems before we engage their skills and formulate an understanding with them. We pay close attention to managing the football player within the human and that's where we adjust the mentality and mindset."
The Durban based club released six players in the off-season, amongst them former captain Matome Mathiane and winger Siboniso Conco and that's on top of losing Nkosinathi Sibiso to Orlando Pirates.
Khenyeza has expressed confidence in his current group of players, claiming the club doesn't need high profile players but rather high performing players who are willing to work with them for a common course.
"We don't look at names as coaches, we look at the player's preparedness to work with us and the name comes after that," he said.
"We are happy with the group of players we have now because it doesn't help having a big name player come in and they're not prepared to work with or for us."
Arrows are gonna get their first taste of pre-season action this upcoming weekend as they take on city rivals AmaZulu in the semi-finals of the KZN Premier's Cup on Sunday.
IOL Sport