YOU CAN’T BUY BENNI’S TYPE OF EXPERIENCE
BENNI McCarthy has made rapid progress as a coach. In just two seasons in charge of Cape Town City, he has steered the team to two Cup finals, and they finished fifth on the PSL standings last season.
To take things even further, last week he received his Uefa Pro Licence, the highest coaching qualification in Europe.
McCarthy, the coach, is most certainly on the rise. But all of the above, of course, is on paper. If you want some insight into the inner, more tangible, workings of McCarthy on the training field and in the dressing-room, with regards to how he prepares and motivates his squad, then the people to ask are his two assistant coaches: Vasili Manousakis and Rayaan Jacobs.
“Benni’s strengths are his knowledge of the game,” said Manousakis. “He can draw on the football experience he picked up from playing at the level that he has. He’s tasted all kinds of football and he’s played under world-class managers; he’s been with the SA national team, where he’s played all over Africa. You cannot buy that type of experience. You can’t teach him anything about being in a football dressing-room.
“Now that he is a coach, he is able to cherry-pick the best traits from those managers he worked with as a player.
“Most of all, though, his biggest asset is his desire to succeed. He is a born winner. It’s probably something he would have had when he first went overseas as a teenager and told himself ‘I’m gonna make it’. He is the very same now – he never gives up.
“Ask any of his players, he just hates to lose. Whether it’s a training game or a five-a-side kickaround, he wants to win.
“Even in gaining the prestigious Uefa Pro Licence, it would have been the same attitude: when he puts his mind to something, he goes out and gets it.”
Jacobs said: “He’s an honest coach, he speaks from the heart and all his messages are packed with emotion and desire. It’s clear to see why he made it as a player – he has a winning mentality. At training, he strives for excellence and gets upset when players don’t give 100 percent.
“He has his vision on how football must be played and he strives for continuity in his preparation.”
But coaching is not just about what happens at training. It’s also about personality, understanding and empathy – and it’s about how the coach relates to the people around him. McCarthy, from his days as a player, understands the need for inclusivity.
“It is a privilege to work with Benni,” said Manousakis. “As a member of the technical staff, I can tell you that he gets to know us as people. He wants to know who you are. He is interested in you, your family, your kids, and he’s very good at picking up when anybody around him is not feeling well; he notices behavioural changes. As a coach, he is smart, he is sharp.
There was McCarthy the player and, now, there’s McCarthy the coach. But there is also McCarthy the celebrity. How does he cope with all the adulation?
“He may be a South African legend, but he is extremely compassionate,” said Manousakis.
“He always has time for pictures and a chat with fans. He never says no.” ORLANDO Pirates might be high on confidence after bagging all the spoils against Polokwane
City at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Tuesday night; however, coach Milutin Sredojevic refused to get carried away ahead of their next encounter.
Pirates’ next assignment will be away to Absa Premiership title holders Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday (3:30pm). Although both have had unconvincing starts to the campaign, the Soweto giants have made the most of their recent chances as they sit at the summit of the log with 22 points after 12 matches. Sundowns are sixth with 14 and trail the pacesetters by four games.
“First of all, we are far from being a well-oiled machine,” Sredojevic said after their 2-1 victory over Rise and Shine. “We have a huge space for improvement and development. (As a result) we shall not comment anything about anyone in front (Sundowns). We shall now collect the situation of injuries and focus on the things in the team because we had two tough away matches. After that we’ll then think ahead of us.”
The last time Loftus hosted Sundowns and Pirates, the Bucs won 3-1, as they avenged their 6-0 hammering from the previous campaign. Goalkeeper Jackson Mabokgwane was nominated as the best man on the day as he kept Sundowns’ attack at bay.
However, Siyabonga Mpontshane has been the entrusted shot-stopper for main events this season. Mpontshane started ahead of Mabokgwane in their 2-1 win in the derby – two weeks back – while the latter had made two successive appearances prior to that clash.
“In the game, we have one goalkeeper physically but four spiritually,” Sredojevic said on the notion that Mpontshane might return between the sticks against Sundowns as Mabokgwane started on Tuesday. “It’s a pride that we are feeling at Orlando Pirates that four goalkeepers are like brothers, together with their coach Andrew Sparkes. We are really happy to have them around.”