AmaZulu coach laments erratic play

Cavin Johnson has suggested that his AmaZulu players will be fired up for this weekend’s Telkom Knockout quarterfinal against Orlando Pirates‚ but questioned why they only seem to raise their game for matches against the “big three”.

The tendency of players to be fired up to face Kaizer Chiefs‚ Orlando Pirates or Mamelodi Sundowns‚ but to be unable to find that same energy and intensity against other teams, has been a much-discussed topic.

Johnson expects it to be no different this week after seeing his side limp to a 3-0 defeat to Cape Town City on Saturday‚ when they committed a number of unforced errors.

“You know what’s going to happen whenever you play Chiefs‚ Pirates or Sundowns‚ it looks like somebody [has put] cocaine up their backsides‚” a frustrated Johnson said.

“It always looks like someone [has put] an injection up [a] team’s backside.

“They [the players] just seem to come out of the blocks a little quicker‚ a little faster it looks like their heads are a little bit clearer as to understanding the tactics,” he said.

“When you see that, you But think, then ‘Ja‚ the this next is a week player’ it s I back like’. to, ‘This is a player I could kill’. It’s the same players; it’s not like they have got masks on….”

AmaZulu are bottom of the Premiership after a six-point deduction from Fifa for an unpaid salary to Namibian player Phineas Nambandi.

Johnson admits the cup tie could be a distraction with their main aim being surviving this season‚ but believes it could also boost their ebbing confidence.

“It may be a little bit of a distraction. They [Pirates] won and are on a major high. We lost and are on a major low.

“We need to be more aggressive. We need to play the way we can play.”

AmaZulu are unbeaten at home this season.