Lamontville Golden Arrows’ eight-match run without conceding a goal comes down to teamwork and player being prepared to put in a good shift says coach Pitso Dladla, as his side look ahead to a busy week.
Arrows host Stellenbosch in the Betway Premiership in Umlazi on Wednesday and then have another home game on Sunday when they meet Mamelodi Sundowns in the second leg of their MTN8 semifinal, having pulled off a shock 1-0 victory in last Sunday’s first leg in Atteridgeville.
“We are one team, you know, as coaches we work together. Coach Jocob Mokhasi is doing a great job with the goalkeepers,” said Dladla
“What is important is that we install this mentality that when we are out of possession, every player becomes a defender. But we still became the same team.
“We could not tell there's a difference. So I think it's how we work in training and then believe in each other. It helps us defensively.
“It's the work that we put in training, you know, the type of players that we have and are very, very committed to the project, but we are also aware that the games will be coming thick and fast. We need to use each and every game.”
But while the defence is watertight -- no one has scored against Arrows since AmaZulu’s Sandile Mthethwa in May -- there is room for other improvements
“We believe we should improve when we're in possession,” added the coach.
“There were times on Sunday when we lost the ball cheaply. We believe that we are a ball playing team. There were times also where our decision making was not so proper,” Dladla said.