The new Brazilians coach oversaw a pre-season training camp in Austria where the club struggled for results.
During this camp, the team experienced mixed results. They faced defeats against German third-tier side SV Sandhausen and Ukrainian giants Dynamo Kyiv but managed a 1-1 draw with English Championship side Cardiff City.
Sundowns then secured victories over Qatar Stars League team Al Arabi and Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal.
Looking ahead, Sundowns are set to compete in an MTN8 quarter-final match at home against Polokwane City on August 11.
Reflecting on the team’s progress during the pre-season, coach Mngqithi highlighted numerous positives despite the varied outcomes.
He emphasised that the experiences and challenges faced during the camp have been valuable in preparing the team for the upcoming season.
He said in the Citizen: “To be honest, I was not really sad with the first two results.
“I think in the first match the team played really badly. Maybe it was a long trip and we had a activation a day after and played a match and I think it was a little bit suicidal and we were a little bit flat.
“The Kiev loss was not a loss for me because I think in that match, our application was very good and we created a lot of opportunities. That’s when I started seeing that our structure is coming in and the work of the coaches, as well as our conditioning department.
“If you look at how this team ran, it really shows you we are building up and it would have been nice to still have had one or two more games from here but we have a strong belief that the team is getting together and in my honest opinion, I think we’re almost there.”
