Kaizer Chiefs are scoring beautiful goals that are largely going unnoticed as they hit their stride in the Premier Soccer League‚ said coach Steve Komphela ahead of today’s Soweto derby against Orlando Pirates at FNB Stadium.
After an unconvincing start‚ Amakhosi have edged up to the top spot in the Premier Soccer League. They have won four games in a row‚ and gained in confidence as each successive performance has been more convincing.
Komphela said he had always said Chiefs were on the right track in their planning and the players they have brought into a new-look squad‚ but that talk is cheap‚ and supporters will only be convinced by results and performances.
“They will always say some people act after a fact. But when you start responding after some facts‚ then it makes more sense‚” Komphela said in characteristically cryptic fashion.
“All that I’m trying to say is that we said it before but because we were not getting results‚ talk is as good as nothing.
“You have to keep to what you are building towards and also highlight it to the players.
“My small challenge to all the colleagues is go back and look at all the goals these kids have scored at Chiefs. They are all brilliant goals.
“But that kind of summary can only happen at the end of the season. For now we are still going through processing goals. It’s only after a title that people look back and say‚ ‘But these guys score beautiful goals’.”
Chiefs have 13 points from six games‚ having suffered one defeat‚ to set the pace in the PSL.
Komphela’s men will be well aware that several title con tenders are playing catch-up in the amount of games played‚ making a win for Amakhosi on Saturday against their arch-rivals Pirates all the more important to keep their noses ahead.
Among the heavyweight chasers are Bidvest Wits on 10 points from four games‚ Pirates on nine from five‚ and bottom-placed Mamelodi Sundowns on one point from one game.
Orlando Pirates’ apparent reliance on Tendai Ndoro for goals will become less of a problem as the team’s structure improves‚ said Bucs’ coach Muhsin Ertugral.
Six of Pirates’ seven goals in the Premier Soccer League this season have come from in-form Zimbabwean Ndoro. Thabiso Kutumela scored the other in a home draw against Platinum Stars in late September.
Ndoro‚ though‚ can be frustratingly anonymous in matches‚ which accounts in part for Bucs’ inconsistency so far in 2016-17.
Ertugral would have been pleased to see Pirates register a convincing 2-1 Telkom Knockout first round victory against Lamontville Golden Arrows at Orlando Stadium on Sunday where two stunning goals were scored by Mpho Makola and Luvuyo Memela.
The coach said that as Pirates continue to adapt to his game plan‚ so the goals will continue to be spread around.
“First‚ you are asking the wrong person‚ and second‚ I have not restricted my other players not to score and only Tendai to score‚” Ertugral responded when asked why Bucs’ forwards other than Ndoro have been slow to come to the scoring party.
“I think sometimes we are also a bit unlucky. But Memela scored a fantastic goal – I think this is one of the goals of the season.
“I think it will become better for us in the coming weeks and months because the positioning was not good from us when we were going forward.
“And our wingers sometimes dropped too far‚ and then when the ball comes in it is always two or three metres behind into the attacking formation.”
Pirates have nine points from five games in the PSL. With two wins in the league‚ Bucs have drawn their last three PSL games‚ then beat Arrows 2-1 in the Telkom in a far more convincing manner than the 2-1 scoreline suggests.
Beautiful goals go unnoticed
After an unconvincing start‚ Amakhosi have edged up to the top spot in the Premier Soccer League. They have won four games in a row‚ and gained in confidence as each successive performance has been more convincing.
Komphela said he had always said Chiefs were on the right track in their planning and the players they have brought into a new-look squad‚ but that talk is cheap‚ and supporters will only be convinced by results and performances.
“They will always say some people act after a fact. But when you start responding after some facts‚ then it makes more sense‚” Komphela said in characteristically cryptic fashion.
“All that I’m trying to say is that we said it before but because we were not getting results‚ talk is as good as nothing.
“You have to keep to what you are building towards and also highlight it to the players.
“My small challenge to all the colleagues is go back and look at all the goals these kids have scored at Chiefs. They are all brilliant goals.
“But that kind of summary can only happen at the end of the season. For now we are still going through processing goals. It’s only after a title that people look back and say‚ ‘But these guys score beautiful goals’.”
Chiefs have 13 points from six games‚ having suffered one defeat‚ to set the pace in the PSL.
Komphela’s men will be well aware that several title con tenders are playing catch-up in the amount of games played‚ making a win for Amakhosi on Saturday against their arch-rivals Pirates all the more important to keep their noses ahead.
Among the heavyweight chasers are Bidvest Wits on 10 points from four games‚ Pirates on nine from five‚ and bottom-placed Mamelodi Sundowns on one point from one game.
Orlando Pirates’ apparent reliance on Tendai Ndoro for goals will become less of a problem as the team’s structure improves‚ said Bucs’ coach Muhsin Ertugral.
Six of Pirates’ seven goals in the Premier Soccer League this season have come from in-form Zimbabwean Ndoro. Thabiso Kutumela scored the other in a home draw against Platinum Stars in late September.
Ndoro‚ though‚ can be frustratingly anonymous in matches‚ which accounts in part for Bucs’ inconsistency so far in 2016-17.
Ertugral would have been pleased to see Pirates register a convincing 2-1 Telkom Knockout first round victory against Lamontville Golden Arrows at Orlando Stadium on Sunday where two stunning goals were scored by Mpho Makola and Luvuyo Memela.
The coach said that as Pirates continue to adapt to his game plan‚ so the goals will continue to be spread around.
“First‚ you are asking the wrong person‚ and second‚ I have not restricted my other players not to score and only Tendai to score‚” Ertugral responded when asked why Bucs’ forwards other than Ndoro have been slow to come to the scoring party.
“I think sometimes we are also a bit unlucky. But Memela scored a fantastic goal – I think this is one of the goals of the season.
“I think it will become better for us in the coming weeks and months because the positioning was not good from us when we were going forward.
“And our wingers sometimes dropped too far‚ and then when the ball comes in it is always two or three metres behind into the attacking formation.”
Pirates have nine points from five games in the PSL. With two wins in the league‚ Bucs have drawn their last three PSL games‚ then beat Arrows 2-1 in the Telkom in a far more convincing manner than the 2-1 scoreline suggests.
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