Chippa United interim coach Dan Malesela is aware his team have to pull up their socks during the second half of the Premier Soccer League season, if they want to achieve their mandate to finish in the top eight.
Last season it was the Chippa’s results in the first quarter that helped them survive relegation. In the second leg of the PSL they only managed eight points from 13 games, which resulted in the team finishing third from the bottom on the log.
Malesela had a good start at the club, with a 1-0 win over Bloemfontein Celtic in their last fixture of the first half of the season.
His biggest test, though, will be to help Chippa finish in a better position than in the previous season.
The former Cape Town All Stars coach is optimistic that history will not repeat itself this time around, and his team will be able to reach their goal.
However, he said there was still a long way to go as his squad had not yet reached the level of fitness he required in terms of his coaching philosophy.
“The players understand what they have to do. Slowly we are getting there. The players are doing very well at training.
“The key thing now is to see if they are match-fit. Our biggest problem is that we are limited in terms of teams to play friendly matches against.
“But nevertheless, we have to work with what we have.”
He said he could accurately assess his players’ fitness levels only when they played an actual match.
At the Christmas break the side were in ninth position on the log with 16 points from 12 matches.
Malesela strongly believes that if the Chilli Boys collect at least 40 points from their remaining 18 games, they will enter the top-eight bracket at the end of the season. “When I started we had 57 points to play for, of which we have three banked already. Now we are playing for 54 points.
“If we could collect 40 points or more we could reach our mandate. I know the target is maybe high but it is achievable.”
When asked if he was under pressure to deliver results, Malesela said; “You can never work in football and not be under pressure.”
Chippa’s next fixture is against Bidvest Wits on Sunday at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. The game starts at 3.30pm.
Chippa coach gunning for top eight finish
Last season it was the Chippa’s results in the first quarter that helped them survive relegation. In the second leg of the PSL they only managed eight points from 13 games, which resulted in the team finishing third from the bottom on the log.
Malesela had a good start at the club, with a 1-0 win over Bloemfontein Celtic in their last fixture of the first half of the season.
His biggest test, though, will be to help Chippa finish in a better position than in the previous season.
The former Cape Town All Stars coach is optimistic that history will not repeat itself this time around, and his team will be able to reach their goal.
However, he said there was still a long way to go as his squad had not yet reached the level of fitness he required in terms of his coaching philosophy.
“The players understand what they have to do. Slowly we are getting there. The players are doing very well at training.
“The key thing now is to see if they are match-fit. Our biggest problem is that we are limited in terms of teams to play friendly matches against.
“But nevertheless, we have to work with what we have.”
He said he could accurately assess his players’ fitness levels only when they played an actual match.
At the Christmas break the side were in ninth position on the log with 16 points from 12 matches.
Malesela strongly believes that if the Chilli Boys collect at least 40 points from their remaining 18 games, they will enter the top-eight bracket at the end of the season. “When I started we had 57 points to play for, of which we have three banked already. Now we are playing for 54 points.
“If we could collect 40 points or more we could reach our mandate. I know the target is maybe high but it is achievable.”
When asked if he was under pressure to deliver results, Malesela said; “You can never work in football and not be under pressure.”
Chippa’s next fixture is against Bidvest Wits on Sunday at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. The game starts at 3.30pm.
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