Manqoba Mngqithi is confident that Mamelodi Sundowns are still heading in the right direction, despite their surprising 2-1 loss to Magesi in the Carling Knockout Cup on Saturday.
Goals from Tshepo Kakora (48′) and Delano Abrahams (87′) overturned a first-half goal by Iqraam Rayners (36′) at the Free State Stadium.
Mngqithi, who replaced Rulani Mokwena this season, has led his team to second place in the Betway Premiership standings after seven matches.
While they have secured a spot in the group stage of the CAF Champions League, they were eliminated in the semi-finals of the MTN8.
On the other hand, Magesi clinched their first top-flight title after earning promotion last season.
Coach Clinton Larsen repeated the achievement he enjoyed with Bloemfontein Celtic in 2012 when he also defeated Sundowns in this competition.
Mngqithi said on Times Live: “If you choose to become a coach, you must expect that in this space our jobs are always under scrutiny every week because we have to deliver.
“It’s unlike a CEO of a company who has come at the end of the financial year [and deliver a report]. With us football coaches, it is always going to be where are we going, are we going in the right or wrong direction?
“And I am still optimistic that we are going in the right direction.
“We have gone into that spell where things are not going our way in cup matches and you really cannot put a finger on it. I remember even in the game against Pirates, we were on 70/30 in terms of ball possession, and we had a lot of shots at goal.
“We did everything right against them and unfortunately during the later stages of the game they created a goal out of nothing and we lost a final. In the MTN8, we also did very well there and I wouldn’t blame anything on the team.
“In football you must know that sometimes you win or lose. It is unfortunate that in a competition where you have scored 12 goals in four matches and only conceded two you lose in the final.”