AmaZulu FC coach Benni McCarthy says he is no 'one season wonder' after his struggles this season to emulate finishing second in the DStv Premiership last year.
Usuthu currently sit ninth on the log with 29 points after 23 games, a far cry from their stunning run last season where they finished second on the league table to qualify first time to play CAF Champions League football.
This is not McCarthy’s only time to struggle in a ‘second season’ at a club. In his first season, while coaching Cape Town City FC, they went on to claim the 2018 MTN8 crown but followed that up with a poor second season.
And this is why the tag of ‘one season wonder’ has been used as a reference to McCarthy’s coaching career by media and some members of the public.
In a media interview, the 44-yer-old McCarthy addressed the ‘one season wonder’ tag and gave his reason for AmaZulu’s struggles this season in both the league and Champions League.
AmaZulu FC coach Benni McCarthy has responded to an unwanted record that seems to be following him in his coaching career.#SLSiya
— Soccer Laduma Local (@SLLocal) March 24, 2022
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“I think it is a mental thing, it is a mental thing, because I’m someone who went to Europe and I didn’t want to play one or two seasons, I wanted to complete my career in Europe because that was the best for me and for my family,” McCarthy told the media.
“So I knew every year that I had to be better because I would be out of the door, I did it for 15 years because I wanted it and that is what players need to do, to stay on top. You can’t depend on last season’s performance because every year there are youngsters coming in.
“There are no challenges and you have to rise to the occasion, you have to improve and be better, don’t be too comfortable the way you are and that’s the difference.
“It is a South African thing, when you have one (good) season and you think you’ve arrived, you don’t want to get more success. Name one player who has managed to be consistent for three seasons? One player?”
"...if you don’t do that then you can’t get to the level that Pitso is."
— iDiski Times (@iDiskiTimes) March 23, 2022
Benni McCarthy has the potential to follow in the footsteps of Al Ahly head coach Pitso Mosimane, according to SuperSport CEO Stan Matthews. https://t.co/pIgcyw9Qhz pic.twitter.com/wR9Oip1UqE
McCarthy said as far as he was concerned Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Themba Zwane is the one player that has been consistent for years in the PSL for his club.
“I can give you one player that has been consistent but why is there only one? Why can’t we have more like in Europe? Like Kylian Mbappe, he has been consistent and is becoming the next CR7 and Messi,” McCarthy said.
“Themba Zwane has been consistent for years, every season he goes higher and higher but how many other players can I point out for that? So it is a South African thing that in one season you think that you’ve arrived and I want to change it.
“I want players to understand that life is not about having the best season in one year,” he added.
