Durban - SuperSport United ended a frustrating season with some pride following their last day 2-0 win over Orlando Pirates on Monday, a result which earned them a top eight finish.
Arendse paid tribute to his defence for delivering a solid shift during the game.
“I’ve got to give credit to the back four and Ronwen. They were fantastic. It makes it easier when you are defending well and keeping clean sheets. And at the other end, we had it in us to score goals,” said Arendse.
Overall, SuperSport ended the season with 10 wins, 10 losses and 10 draws from their 30 games. This is a sub-par return for a club of their stature and indicates that they will have a lot of work to do during the off-season when it comes to reinforcing their squad.
The club’s goalkeeper and captain Ronwen Williams has also indicated that he is open to new offers in order to potentially challenge for the league title.
The Bafana Bafana first-choice goalkeeper is now 30-years-old, meaning that he has entered the prime of his career. While SuperSport can potentially challenge for trophies such as the MTN 8 and Nedbank Cup, it is unlikely that they will be challenging for the league title anytime soon so it is easy to understand why Williams may want to leave for new pastures at this point of his career.
The Matsatsantsa midfield appeared to suffer a decline following the departure of Teboho Mokoena to Mamelodi Sundowns earlier in the year. As things stand, Sipho Mbule is also set to leave the club during the off-season. Mbule, who is regarded as one of the technically best outfield players in the SuperSport squad, was consigned to just 10 league appearances as a result of speculation surrounding his future.
Arendse has said that his side will look to bolster their midfield ahead of the new season.
“We need to shore up our midfield first and foremost going into the new season. We need more experience into the midfield so that we can give the likes of Jesse Donn a break now and then. His legs have carried him through the season for us and he has been superb. If we can get that right in terms of shoring up our midfield as a starting point, it will be a good sign for us,” said Arendse.
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