Dladla backs himself to revive Golden Arrows’ fortunes

Pitso Dladla says Golden Arrows can recover from their difficult league run despite growing pressure on his position.

Arrows have won only one of their eight matches this season and are without a victory in their past four league games. The club is reportedly reviewing Dladla’s position, with Mandla Ncikazi believed to be the leading candidate to replace him.

The pressure intensified last Saturday when Arrows suffered their second defeat of the campaign, losing 1-0 to Milford at King Zwelithini Stadium. They have drawn five of their eight matches and have failed to score in their last two games.

“We feel the pain. We are grateful for the support we get from our supporters, they should [continue to] believe in us and we will turn things around soon,” Dladla said.

The coach acknowledged that his side had not been clinical enough in the final third, despite creating opportunities.

“We knew that we would have three weeks’ break and we were working on things we needed to improve as a team, but even though we worked we didn’t capitalise on what we have been working on like chances we are creating.

“If you look, we are doing better to have fewer numbers in the box as it was something we focused on, but we are still struggling to convert the chances we are creating.”

Arrows’ next fixture is the KwaZulu-Natal derby against AmaZulu on October 31. Dladla said the team would use the time before that match to work on its composure and mentality in front of goal.

“Sometimes it’s not only physical, only the technique, [or] only positioning yourself; sometimes it’s mental. How strong are you mentally? Sometimes it’s calmness, composure in the box and the conviction in the box that you are able to score.

“So we should work on them psychologically more than anything because in terms of arriving in the box, in terms of even being first in the box, we are doing all that. It’s more about mentality more than anything now.”

Dladla remains convinced that the team’s problems are not primarily related to its ability to reach dangerous positions. Instead, he believes the players must develop greater belief and composure once they get into the penalty area.

The defeat by Milford followed a run in which Arrows had already been unable to secure a league win in three successive matches. Their recent results have therefore left Dladla under increased scrutiny as he prepares for the derby.