All eyes on Cape Town City vs Amahkhosi tonight
Eric Tinkler makes no secret of his desire to annex the Premiership title
PRESSURE? What pressure? If a football team wants to win a league title, then pressure is to be expected. It’s an integral part of the journey, it’s a fundamental component of the challenge.
This is the unequivocal message Cape Town City coach Eric Tinkler has drummed into his PSL title-chasing squad as they prepare to take on Kaizer Chiefs in a PSL fixture at the Cape Town Stadium tonight (kick-off 7.30pm). Yes, let’s repeat that: title-chasing – because the cat’s finally out of the bag.
City have been rather coy over the past few weeks, preferring to play down their title-challenge, but Tinkler finally shouted from the rooftops that the League is on: They are ready for a charge.
As it stands, City occupy the summit with 46 points, followed by Wits 45, Kaizer Chiefs 45 and Mamelodi Sundowns on 42 points.
“It’s a real tough match against Chiefs, but it is also a must-win match,” said Tinkler. “As I’ve told the players, we’ve got nothing to lose, so let’s throw everything into it in our attempt to win the title.
“Of course, there is pressure. Being a professional sportsman, a player’s career is short, probably around 8-10 years, and the opportunity only comes around once. As such, this is a pressure sport. Players choose to be professional, so they must be able to deal with pressure. Taking that into consideration, that should add to the motivation and determination as they look to win the title.
“We are going for it, but, as a new club, as a team just started, what we have already achieved is phenomenal. Whatever else happens now is just a bonus. We have already achieved what many would have said was impossible.”
But, in coming up against a smooth, savvy Soweto team, Tinkler, in fact, made no secret of his admiration for their coach, Steve Komphela, and for what what he has achieved.
“I’ve known Steve (Komphela) for many years,” said the City coach. “He is a phenomenal person and a great leader. He is intelligent and certainly has the gift of the gab. In fact, I’ve always thought that he would perhaps be Safa president…
“He has done a fantastic job. It’s never easy coaching a club like Chiefs… There was a stage when he was under pressure, but he’s come through it all. Having played overseas (in Turkey), he has the knowledge and experience, and it shows in his coaching. As far as I am concerned, after what Steve has been through at Chiefs, he can be very proud of what he has done at the club.”
As for the City game plan, Tinkler believes playing Chiefs suits his team’s style a lot better. Last week, against Wits, the opposition allowed City to have the ball, which negated their deadly counter-attack style. Tonight, with Chiefs likely to hog possession, it will allow the Capetonians’ pace and panache on the break to be more prevalent.
“Chiefs tend to play with false wingers, which allows Shabba (Siphiwe Tshabalala) a bit of a free role, while George Maluleka looks to make runs in behind the defence,” said Tinkler. “But we will have to make sure that we are compact centrally because that is where they look to break teams down. While we recognise their strengths, it is also important what we do on the transition. Unlike Wits last week, playing Chiefs may be better for us, because they are a team that likes to play football.”
City have already beaten Chiefs this season (in the MTN8 competition last year). Tinkler, as a former Orlando Pirates coach, has also come up against Chiefs on quite a few occasions in the Soweto derby. He knows what to expect, which is why, even though he is confident his team can pull it off, he is nevertheless aware of the danger the opposition presents.
“With six games to go, we want to win as many points as we can,” he said. “The first obstacle, of course, is Chiefs. We will have to be motivated, disciplined and display a very good work ethic.
“The fact that they played at the weekend is perhaps to our advantage (Chiefs lost to SuperSport in the Nedbank Cup). It’s not easy playing 120 minutes, then losing the penalty shoot-out, and soon after you are having to play another big game. It’s a headache for Steve. Does he rotate? Who does he pick?
“But, for us, we can’t concern ourselves too much, we just need to focus on ourselves. It doesn’t matter who they pick to play, we know what brand of football they will use, and we will just have to follow the processes that have made us so successful.”