Arrows focusing on league survival after cup exit
Although Clinton Larsen admits he would have loved to win the MTN8 with Golden Arrows, he insists protecting their Absa Premiership status is his first priority.
Clinton Larsen (head coach) of Golden Arrows (Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix)
The KwaZulu-Natal side was dumped from the MTN8 by Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday at the Lucas Moripe Stadium. They lost 2-0 to the Brazilians.
“We are out of the cup, but our priority is always doing well in the league and securing our status firstly,” said Larsen.
“We are a small team, so we are not going to fool ourselves and think that we are bigger than what we are. We first try to achieve the 30-point mark and then the 40-point mark, then we take it from there. That’s how we take it season after season, and that is not going to change,” he added.
READ: Sundowns advance to MTN8 semifinals
Larsen went on to outline Arrows’ recruitment policy, stating they preferred extracting talent from their development team before looking into the market.
“We are not a buying team, we don’t have a blank cheque, we will always look at the Multichoice Diski Challenge team to get players like Siboniso Conco to come in and do the business for us.
“The youngsters are getting better with every game that they play, and sometimes it is at the expense of losing, but there is a bigger picture at Golden Arrows on what we are trying to achieve as a team. We have to develop these players as quick as we can. That’s the vision of the chairlady, and I support that vision. That is why I am not afraid to play these boys.”
