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McCarthy warns AmaZulu defenders: You don't want to be on the end of a beating from my mouth
The KwaZulu-Natal side have conceded only three goals in the last 10 matches they have played and are just one point behind Mamelodi Sundowns
AmaZulu head coach Benni McCarthy has revealed one of the factors which he believes have attributed to his success with the Durban team.
Speaking after taking Usuthu to his former club Cape Town City on Wednesday night and winning 5-1 to move hot onto the heels of league leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, McCarthy explained how he believes his approach to coaching has changed since leaving the Mother City team:
"Fear. When it comes to the defence, I'm always very strict. I choose my words carefully when it comes to the defence,” he told SuperSport TV.
"I think if you don't want to be on the end of a beating that comes out of my mouth, so you try and be as disciplined as possible. And correct,” the former Bafana Bafana striker said in reference to the AmaZulu defenders.
"I don't take kindly to defenders who want to be play-makers. You know your job is to defend, so you defend - your goal, your goalkeeper - with your life.
"I'm very tough when it comes to my defenders. Higher up the pitch, I'm more relaxed, because that's where the creativity and goals come from.
"But in defence, I think the first mistake when I was on the opposite bench of the team that we played today [CT City], it was all free - the defenders didn't have fear to play football.
"And I think it still haunts them till today because they never gotten it out of them.
"So the one thing I wanted to rectify was to install that a little bit more - we all want to play, but our number one priority is to defend. And that's what I've got very right, coming to AmaZulu."
Usuthu are next up in a KZN derby - on Saturday they face fellow on-form Durban side Golden Arrows, who are third on the standings and drew with Sundowns on Wednesday. The Brazilians play Orlando Pirates on Sunday.
