Patosi was hauled off after just 35 minutes, with McCarthy bringing on young Craig Martins in his place, as City went on to retain the 1-0 scoreline and advance to the Last 16 of the cup.
Quizzed on the decision, the former Bafana Bafana striker explained that Patosi had not been delivering on what was expected of him, while the rainy conditions also affected his ball-playing ability.
“Yeah, it was tactical, because I wanted something different. I wanted him to get on the ball and let us play,” explained McCarthy after the match at the Bidvest Stadium.
“Having Teko [Modise] in there, who we know is a ball player but can also graft, and [Roland] Putsche, who is more of a grafter than a ball player but he’s coming along nicely. Patosi is the one that should be making us click, and he was the one giving the ball away every time.
“I think the wet, heavy pitch and the wet shirt was just all mounting on the weight [of expectations] on him already, and he wasn’t giving me what I was expecting from him.
“Then I thought, ‘I have to change him before we go level’, and then you’re looking for ideas on how you’re going to get the second goal.
“So, while we were still at 1-0 up, I decided to change it and brought Craig Martins on, who would give us more pace and wouldn’t be scared to play.
“And we needed characters – fighters – because, against Wits, there’s no place for luxury players, and I think Patosi was a luxury player for me today, and we needed fighters.”
McCarthy also explained the reality of the situation between himself and the 25-year-old winger, following the incident that would have undoubtedly left the player upset.
“We had our exchange of words, but that’s normal, no one’s happy [when they get substituted early]. Me neither – I would have kicked off massively,” he conceded.
“But, I would have probably knocked my head against the wall if I played s***, or if I knew I deserved to come off after 20 minutes, and I can’t really fault the coach or my teammates.
“So, if you’re a good professional, and you know your ability and the level that you should be on, and you’re not giving that, then you can’t really fight … And if it’s a fight that you want, good luck!”