Manqoba Mngqithi determined to inflict Kaizer Chiefs with first defeat of the season - 'Golden Arrows' level of intrinsic motivation is very high'

Kaizer Chiefs have started the season well, collecting 10 points from the four games played; thanks to three wins and a draw.

Interestingly, they are the only team that hasn't conceded a goal after the four rounds. 

The Glamour Boys will be up against Golden Arrows on Saturday at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

Arrows came from a goal down to beat Magesi FC 2-1 in the Premier Soccer League game played on Wednesday.  

While Mngqithi concedes it was tough to motivate players against a so-called small team, he insists the playing unit will be determined to get three points this weekend. 

He believes the players are motivated to get their third win this season against a big team, but underlined the importance of grinding results when they face average sides.  

“For me, every win is important. I always say to people, if you want to be successful in a championship, you must focus more on winning games like Magesi, because those are the games that require a little bit more because the level of intrinsic motivation is not very high,” he told the media.

“Even if you don’t win against Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, and Mamelodi Sundowns, but if you do very well against the so-called smaller opposition, that’s where the championship is. 

“I’ve always said the success of Sundowns in the championship has always been hinging around them beating all these smaller teams, because we’ve [when he was still at Sundowns] hardly had seasons where we would win all the big matches, but when we win smaller matches [it’s important] because they are more than the so-called big matches," Mngqithi recalled.

"Going into Chiefs’ game, I don’t think it’s up to me to motivate them [Arrows players], unlike the game of Magesi. Against Magesi, I have to dig very deep just to make them understand how important it is to get the three points.

“But against Chiefs, the level of intrinsic motivation is very high. You must just try to control the anxiety, because when the motivation is that high, there is a very big chance of anxiety, which is an enemy of good technical execution. When you are anxious, you can’t execute technically the way you want to.

“So, yes, winning against Magesi is a motivation, but I think even if you had lost three matches before playing Chiefs, when you play them, the level of motivation is naturally very high," he concluded.

Arrows have been a hard nut to crack for Chiefs in recent meetings; they have four wins in the last five matches between them and a single loss.

Coach Nasreddine Nabi knows his team can't afford to drop points against the mid-table sides if they are to challenge for the top positions.