TS Galaxy coach Adnan Beganovic says his side has what it takes to win the Nedbank Cup title for the second time in the club’s history as they prepare to host Vasco da Gama at the Mbombela Stadium next week.
The Bosnian mentor replaced fellow countryman Sead Ramovic following a string of poor results, and he has done well so far in the league, as the Rockets have moved from the bottom of the log to eleventh since he took over in November.
Galaxy became the first second-tier team to win the Nedbank Cup in 2019 with a 1-0 win against Kaizer Chiefs under the guidance of Dan Malesela, and with the positive start to his tenure, the 41-year-old coach believes that they have what it takes to go all the way again.
Speaking on Thursday ahead of the clash against the Cape side, Beganovic has asked his players to maintain the standards that have worked for them so far since he took over, and not to fall into the trap of underestimating the threat posed by their opponents.
“We have respect for that team, and we need to be serious and on top if we want to win that game and go to the next round,” he said while addressing the media in Sandton.
“The Nedbank Cup is a special cup for us because we have won it in 2019. I have watched the game against Chiefs many times – we played well, but I won’t say we were lucky to win the game, and we want to fight and see what we can do in this cup this year.
“As the coach of TS Galaxy, there are no easy games, and we always prepare to be on top and to play hard like we train.
“And then in the end, as we have seen in the last eight games with Sundowns, we are the only unbeaten teams in the league.”
The Bosnian continued to say that he will give some of the fringe players an opportunity to get game-time, but he expects them to keep up the same intensity his team have shown in their recent outings and try to avoid playing extra minutes, particularly in games against sides they should beat on paper.
The Rockets are unbeaten since Ramovic’s unexpected resignation during a live post-match television interview last year.
“It is a huge success for me, and an unbelievable period of two months for us because we started at the bottom of the log and what we have achieved a lot to this point. We want to fight even more, and we don’t want to give up until the end of the season,” Beganovic said.
“Anything could happen, but we want to prepare our team to try and finish the game within 90 minutes. But I know it will not be easy.
“We will maybe give other players who don’t usually play in the league a chance, but I want to see new energy and attitude in the field to prepare the team to win within 90 minutes, because we don’t want to go to extra time.” | Independent Media Sport