Cape Town - Cape Town City midfielder Roland Putsche has hailed the impact Benni McCarthy has had on the team's confidence and claimed that the club is on the right track.
McCarthy replaced Eric Tinkler as coach last year, and in his first season, guided City to fifth place in the Absa Premiership and the MTN8 final, where they lost to SuperSport United on penalties.
However, the 27-year-old Austrian feels that supporters have not yet seen the best of the team in the McCarthy era.
"Look, the coach now has an idea of matters in the PSL and knows his players better than what he did before," the midfielder told Kick Off.
"I'm sure he learnt a hell of a lot from himself as a manager and South African soccer in a managerial capacity. So given that, he will be more determined to improve on last year's performances.
"Besides, coach Benni is a winner and that winning mentality shall for sure bear fruit this season. It's evident during our pre-season thus far that things are falling into place and looking good.
"The coach means business and wants to attain success for the club and the fans of Cape Town. He has big plans and constantly reminds us about it so that we buy into his winning mentality, you know.
"He inspires and motivates us, making us believe that we can become the new team to win the [Premiership] title. This positivity just rubs off on everyone, even the younger ones. The atmosphere is fantastic and this bodes well for the team."
During his playing career, McCarthy was, indeed, a serial winner, most notably picking up the Champions League with FC Porto, as well as league titles in Portugal, the Netherlands and South Africa.
He will be hoping to help guide Cape Town City to the top of the table in the 2018/19 season, which they will kick off against SuperSport United on Saturday at Cape Town Stadium.