AmaZulu coach Benni McCarthy believes he can rival Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel with trophies won if his Premier Soccer League club gives him money to invest in players.
Since joining Usuthu on December 14, 2020, the 44-year-old former Bafana Bafana striker has not won any trophies with the team but he managed to help them finish a record second on the top-flight table behind champions Mamelodi Sundowns in the last campaign.
AmaZulu managed 54 points during the campaign, 13 points fewer than Sundowns but they managed to finish ahead of Orlando Pirates, who had to settle for the third position after accumulating 50 points.
However, in this campaign, AmaZulu are yet to hit top gear domestically as they have won only three matches and are placed eighth on the log with 17 points from 13 matches, 13 behind Sundowns, who are sitting at the summit.
McCarthy has revealed AmaZulu are still on the right track to catch up with Sundowns but insists the latter are already runaway league leaders because of the resources and players they have.
The former striker, who also played for West Ham United and Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League, further feels if given enough money at his disposal, he would be the Tuchel of South Africa with AmaZulu.
'I would be the Tuchel of South Africa'
“If you give me the money that they have to buy players, I’ll show you how quickly I can wrap up the league but I don’t have that luxury. If I had that, I would be the Thomas Tuchel of South Africa,” McCarthy said as quoted by IOL.
BackpagePix.“As a former player and now a coach, I understand the serious implications of not taking advantage of situations. We don’t have the depth that Kaizer Chiefs and Sundowns have. We should be creating a cushion and taking advantage of the situations and win games or it could affect us later.”
'I don't need to panic'
On whether AmaZulu are still in the race to challenge for the title, McCarthy said: “We’ve only lost two games in the league. I don’t need to panic and don’t need emergency meetings. We are drawing a lot which is a massive pain but there are teams above us in the league that have lost more times.
“With three points, we could potentially jump to fifth and then be two points behind second place. For me, the frustration is that we drew games that we should have won. If we won those games, we would have only been a few points behind Sundowns who lead the league.”
Since joining Chelsea from Paris Saint-Germain on January 26, 2021, Tuchel led the side to Uefa Champions League glory after a 1-0 win against Manchester City in the final.
He also helped the Blues to clinch the Super Cup after beating Villarreal 6-5 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time.
While McCarthy's side are yet to impress in the league this season, they have qualified for the Champions League group stage after beating TP Mazembe in the preliminaries.
McCarthy’s AmaZulu will next face Royal AM in a top-flight fixture at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.
