Chilli Boys must break through tight defence

Chippa United coach Dan “Dance” Malesela says his team’s inability to be incisive up front could have cost his side dearly in the goalless PSL draw against SuperSport United on Wednesday.

Malesela, still unbeaten this season, said his young troops needed to learn how to break through tight defence.

“It’s difficult to play against sides that are organised, but we have to find a way to break tight defences,” he said.

“If people are defending in large numbers, we have to find a way of breaking them.

“We let ourselves down in terms of what we do when we get close to the penalty area.

“The decision-making was not good. It nearly cost us big time.

“They actually had far more clear-cut chances than we did and I think we had one shot, mainly because we did not decide properly in areas where we were supposed to do so.”

Malesela made a double substitution as early as the 37th minute as Buyani Sali and David Zulu were replaced by Menzi Masuku and Lerato Manzini respectively.

The former United FC coach said the switch was not based on pressure but more on the team’s not being able to progress up front. “Football is about pressure. “If you can’t handle pressure [as] a player, what do you want to handle?” Malesela asked. “Who is not under pressure? “Everybody is under pressure. “Even Messi is under pressure. “If they don’t perform they get under pressure.

“Barcelona lost 2-1 to a new team in the league and now the pressure says: perform.

“It’s how you handle the pressure that is important. “We were not going forward. “Every time we took the ball forward it was lost. We had to make changes.”

The Port Elizabeth soccer team have had a impressive start to the season and have not lost a match from the four played so far.

They beat Free State Stars 2-1 in the league opener, followed by a 2-0 win over Platinum Stars in the quarterfinal of the MTN8 competition.

In the first leg of the semifinal they held the defending PSL champions to a goalless draw at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Sunday.

The coach said he would give his players some time off before they start preparing for the MTN8 second leg fixture at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Wednesday (7.30pm).

ý Meanwhile, Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane will consider playing a B team again in next week’s second leg of their MTN8 semifinal against Chippa United.

Mosimane is likely to hedge his bets on his decision until he sees how his side fares in Saturday’s huge Caf Champions semifinal first leg against Zesco United in Ndola‚ Zambia.

Sundowns fielded a secondstring side in the 0-0 Premier Soccer League draw against Maritzburg United on Wednesday night.

Downs had asked for this game to be postponed, giving them a full week to prepare for the Zesco clash, but the PSL declined it.

Mosimane made nine changes from the side that drew 0-0 in the MTN8 semifinal first-leg game against Chippa at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Sunday.

He was impressed with the combination of new signings and fringe players, and said he would consider playing the same team against Chippa at Loftus Versfeld. – Additional reporting by Marc Strydom