Golden Arrows Head Coach Mandla Ncikazi says that while his player needed a break, he is concerned that the international break could upset the rhythm.
Arrows and Ncikazi have been the surprise packages of the DStv Premiership season so far. Having played two-thirds of the season, the Durban outfit are currently second on the table, four points behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, although the leaders do also have two games in hand.
Ncikazi says he is not sure if the break is a blessing or not, but admits his players do need the rest.
“The international break has two meanings in all teams,” Ncikazi told Arrows media department.
“Either it’s a welcome idea, giving them an opportunity to to work on aspects that they want to work, on giving players an opportunity to recover after the tight schedule, giving some players also an opportunity to recover from injuries, or it can either be a distraction if your team was in a momentum of winning or playing well, they might lose that momentum.”
“In our case, It’s bittersweet. We also welcome the break, we needed to recover some players so that they can be ready for a tight schedule that is forthcoming.”
“On the other side, you don’t want to lose the momentum. You don’t want to lose the rhythm of playing the way that we have been playing.”
“So for us, bittersweet, I’m not sure whether we welcome it or we don’t. But here we have the break, we will try and deal with it as it is.”
Arrows played in a training game against the national under-23 team on Thursday, losing 3-1 to David Notoane’s squad made up of locally-based players.
