Golden Arrows head coach Manqoba Mngqithi has predicted that the second half of the season will be one of the best periods the club has ever enjoyed.
Abafana Bes’thende struggled for consistency during the first half of the 2025-26 campaign, winning just five of their opening 14 matches in the Betway Premiership.
Mngqithi’s side lost their last three games of 2025 against Orlando Pirates (3-1), TS Galaxy (2-1) and AmaZulu (1-0), having gone into the mid-season break sitting 10th in the standings, five points outside the MTN 8 places.
However, Mngqithi believes the league will change dramatically in the new year and has tipped his team to rise above many of their rivals in the next five months.
“Let’s embrace this new year. It’s going to be one of the best years of this team… let’s embrace it and enjoy every moment,” the told the club’s media department.
“I urge fans to come to our matches because the landscape of the league is going to change completely, and I can assure you that this team is going to be stronger this year.”
Mngqithi feels the break could do wonders for Arrows and hailed his players for staying in shape over the last seven weeks since the derby defeat to Usuthu on December 2.
“I strongly believe that the break will be very handy for us. Our players have taken good care of themselves… we did our tests and they are not far off from where they were before this AFCON break,” he added.
“So we just have to try and sharpen them in some aspects, but physically the team is looking a bit okay.
“Taking care of yourself as a player during the break is probably the most important thing because if you don’t take care of yourself during the break, you are putting yourself at risk of injuries and chances are that you are not going to start well.”
