Zwane Sounds out Alarm on Thando Ngwenya
AmaZulu coach Arthur Zwane has issued a stark warning to his troops: Usuthu’s over-reliance on in-form striker Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya for goals could come back to bite them if the Zimbabwean international picks up another injury.
Ngwenya has been the standout performer in AmaZulu’s promising start to the campaign, netting five goals in four Betway Premiership outings and adding two more in the MTN8 — seven goals in all competitions that already have him among the frontrunners in the early Golden Boot race.
But Zwane knows better than anyone how fragile that momentum could be. The 24-year-old marksman spent roughly two-and-a-half months on the sidelines last season through injury, a lay-off Zwane believes badly derailed the team’s campaign at the time.
Ngwenya’s value to the side was on full display again on Wednesday, scoring both AmaZulu goals in a 5-2 mauling at the hands of Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld — a result that only underlined just how much the team leans on him.
Stats even back up the hot streak: Ngwenya has become only the third player in PSL history to score in each of his side’s opening four league matches of a season, joining elite company alongside Christopher Katongo (2006/07) and Alton Meiring (1999/00 & 2003/04).
Impressive as the form has been, Zwane wants more hands on deck up front. “It’s good to see him scoring goals. The only concern is that it can’t be only him who scores for us. Others also need to take responsibility. You can’t rely on him, because if he gets injured again, then we’re going to have a problem,” said Zwane.
The warning carries extra weight after Ngwenya showed visible signs of fatigue against Sundowns. “We’re just hoping that Thando will be available for selection all the time. You must have seen that towards the end of the game, he started cramping, and that was a warning sign for us,” Zwane added.
The Usuthu tactician also admitted he’s walking a tightrope, torn between protecting his talisman and having no like-for-like replacement ready to step in. “Sometimes you want to take him out, but you look at who can give you goals. We don’t have another prolific striker like him at the moment. We do have others, but they’re still coming back because they missed pre-season.”
With Ngwenya carrying the goalscoring burden almost single-handedly, AmaZulu will be hoping the rest of the attack finds its scoring boots soon — before fatigue, or worse, forces Usuthu’s hand.
