Chippa United assistant coach Mbuyiselo Sambu said the international and PSL break has helped the team to experiment with new tactics on how to approach their remaining games as their quest to maintain their top eight status continues.
The Port Elizabeth-based side have been out of action for the past two weeks due to Bafana Bafana’s 2017 Afcon group qualifiers and the Nedbank Cup last 16 fixtures.
Chippa return to action on Sunday when they play SuperSport United in a PSL fixture at Peter Mokaba Stadium.
Speaking after their 2-1 friendly win against National First Division side Mthatha Bucks at VW Peoples Pavilion Sports and Recreational Facility in Uitenhage on Saturday, Sambu said the players are ready to take on Matsatsantsa.
“Looking at today’s game, the pitch was not good but we tried to improve on most of the things that we were focusing on at training,” he said.
“We are still working very hard. There have been a lot of changes in terms of how we want to approach the game.
“We still have the same players. Nothing has changed, just the approach to the game. It is way different to the games we played previously. The break has given us an opportunity to work on a lot of things.
“So things are looking good. The guys are working very hard. We are ready for the game against SuperSport.”
The former Platinum Stars and Free State Stars centre- back said one of the focal points at training during the break was their defence.
“We have seen that we are conceding unnecessary goals so we are trying to also have our midfielders helping our defence because it is not only about defenders.
“If our midfielders are not functioning well in terms of being in the right position to defend then it is going to be difficult for our defenders.”
Sambu said all the players were aware of their position on the log and how important their next league game was for the team.
“It is key that we win the game. If we don’t win we are aware that other teams will catch up with us.
“We need to make sure that we stay in the top eight.”
Although David Zulu is back and training with the team it is still not clear whether or not he would be ready for Sunday’s game. The club is still awaiting medical reports from their physiotherapist regarding Zulu’s well-being.
“It’s only Zulu who is injured but he has started training with the team. He is not fully fit but I am sure by Friday we will know what is the situation with him.”
Chippa use break to develop new approach
The Port Elizabeth-based side have been out of action for the past two weeks due to Bafana Bafana’s 2017 Afcon group qualifiers and the Nedbank Cup last 16 fixtures.
Chippa return to action on Sunday when they play SuperSport United in a PSL fixture at Peter Mokaba Stadium.
Speaking after their 2-1 friendly win against National First Division side Mthatha Bucks at VW Peoples Pavilion Sports and Recreational Facility in Uitenhage on Saturday, Sambu said the players are ready to take on Matsatsantsa.
“Looking at today’s game, the pitch was not good but we tried to improve on most of the things that we were focusing on at training,” he said.
“We are still working very hard. There have been a lot of changes in terms of how we want to approach the game.
“We still have the same players. Nothing has changed, just the approach to the game. It is way different to the games we played previously. The break has given us an opportunity to work on a lot of things.
“So things are looking good. The guys are working very hard. We are ready for the game against SuperSport.”
The former Platinum Stars and Free State Stars centre- back said one of the focal points at training during the break was their defence.
“We have seen that we are conceding unnecessary goals so we are trying to also have our midfielders helping our defence because it is not only about defenders.
“If our midfielders are not functioning well in terms of being in the right position to defend then it is going to be difficult for our defenders.”
Sambu said all the players were aware of their position on the log and how important their next league game was for the team.
“It is key that we win the game. If we don’t win we are aware that other teams will catch up with us.
“We need to make sure that we stay in the top eight.”
Although David Zulu is back and training with the team it is still not clear whether or not he would be ready for Sunday’s game. The club is still awaiting medical reports from their physiotherapist regarding Zulu’s well-being.
“It’s only Zulu who is injured but he has started training with the team. He is not fully fit but I am sure by Friday we will know what is the situation with him.”
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