Franco sets lofty target after tepid first season

AmaZulu coach Pablo Franco has high hopes that Usuthu will achieve their goal of finishing in the top four this season.

AmaZulu finished 11th last term, Franco’s first at the club. The Spaniard sees no reason why they can’t accomplish their objective of finishing in the top four in the 2024/25 campaign, banking on last season’s lessons among other things.

“I am really excited for my second season at AmaZulu. We have huge expectations this season. We know it’s going to be tough but we are also confident. We know what we are capable of.

"We learnt a lot of lessons from last season, so we are going to use those lessons to make sure we finish in the top four,” Franco said during the launch of Betway Premiership in Sandton last week.

Franco also suggested he was satisfied with the playing personnel at his disposal as he feels they are competent. Experienced centre-back Kwanda Mngonyama and deadly striker Etiosa Ighodaro are some of Usuthu’s new signings this season.

“We trust the quality of our players and our capacity as the technical team. Also, with the support of our fans, we are sure that we will be better than last season. Our squad is very strong and the players have the right attitude, so we should be where we want to be by the end of the season,” the Usuthu coach said.

AmaZulu will get their Premiership programme under way by trading blows with Polokwane City at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday. Franco has emphasised the importance of collecting points early after they had a slow start last season.

“We need to start the season better than we did last season. It’s very important to start collecting points very early into the season because that also boosts your confidence. Last season we didn’t start well and that hurt our confidence going forward,” Franco said.

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