Ajax sweating over Rivaldo

Menzo: The engine was working fine last year, but now we just cannot seem to find the key

AJAX CAPE TOWN are holding thumbs that Bafana Bafana star Rivaldo Coetzee recovers in time to line up in central defence in a must-win PSL fixture against Highlands Park at the Cape Town Stadium tonight (7.30pm kickoff ).

The 20-year-old missed Ajax’s last game – a 2-1 away defeat to Maritzburg United – with a shoulder injury. His recovery has been monitored by the club’s medical staff, but Ajax coach Stanley Menzo is not sure whether the defender will be ready. He still needs to check on the player’s fitness and condition before making a decision on selection.

Other squad news is that in-form teen Grant Margeman is still out, serving the second of a two-match ban, and so, too, are right-back Rheece Evans, and winger Tashreeq Morris (both injured).

While Ajax continue to leak goals, which has, in turn, resulted in their inability to win and put points on the board, Menzo has stressed the importance of the team keeping a clean sheet tonight. In essence, if they don’t concede, he says, that’s already a guaranteed point.

Menzo, a former goalkeeper for Ajax Amsterdam and the Netherlands, and a man with a wealth of knowledge and experience from his many years in the sport, emphasised, though, that he was not pointing fingers at his goalkeeper or his defence.

“A team doesn’t defend with just its goalkeeper of its defenders,” said Menzo. “It’s a team thing… everyone is responsible for defending. The fact that we haven’t kept many clean sheets is a concern, but it goes both ways. We have to look at what we are doing in attack too, because that can change the dynamic of the game. For example, in our previous loss to Maritzburg, we had two or three chances to score before they got their goal. We never scored and the game changed… The problem is that we give away too many easy goals and don’t score enough.”

Despite this, Menzo remains confident his players can re-discover the level of form that saw them reel off a series of victories at the end of last year. He has not lost any belief – he remains as positive as ever and is certain his team is just one win away from turning things around.

“We need to find the key to start the engine again,” said the Ajax coach. “The engine was working fine last year, but now we just cannot seem to find the key. But I see lots of positives, and the players are doing many good things, both at training and in the games. It’s just that we have not been able to turn those good things into a win. We have to change that… I believe that just one win will change the mental behaviour. The team is okay, it’s just that we have to score and we have to win.

“We’ve had a good week. We’ve had a chat about things, we had a braai to stay together, and there is a good spirit in the squad. I just hope that we can transfer that spirit into the game tonight and can get the three points.”

Menzo, though, is fully aware that, in Highlands Park, they face tough, tricky opponents, who are just as desperate for wins and points.

“Highlands Park are a team that’s difficult to beat,” he said.

“Highlands Park play a direct style of football, so I expect they will let us have the ball and wait for their moments on the break. It will be up to us to make the game…”

The other Cape side, Cape Town City, will be in action tomorrow night when they take on Platinum Stars at the Moruleng Stadium (6pm kickoff )