Coach Jonevret does not want his side to stay in bed again

KJELL JONEVRET says his side would need to up their game after what was a below par performance against Baroka FC in midweek, if they are to beat Chippa United at Orlando Stadium tomorrow (kick-off 8.15pm).

Orlando Pirates played to a 1-1 draw against the relegation-threatened Limpopo outfit, after Issa Sarr rescued his side with a superb header in the dying seconds.

What displeased Jonevret most was how his side left spaces at the back open for their opponents to exploit, while also lacking aggression up front to finish off inviting goal-scoring opportunities.

The Sweden-born coach said such a poor performance cannot continue, if they are to stand a chance of finishing in the top eight at the end of the season.

As it stands, Pirates are ninth on the Absa Premiership standings with 28 points from 24 matches, while Chippa are 12th with 24 points from 25 games.

“This is going to be another tough game for us,” Jonevret said.

“My only wish is that my side do not stay in bed like they did in the last encounter (against Baroka), otherwise we are going to lose.

“Chippa play far better football than Baroka, so we’ll have to step up.

“If we win this tie, then we can say we had another good week with two wins and a draw in our pocket.

“But I was not pleased with how we performed against Baroka.

“Having said that,” Jonevret added, “I’m definitely ready for Chippa.”

Against Chippa, Pirates will be playing a side desperate for a win, after the Chilli Boys had gone 10 league games without a win leading up to this tie.

Chippa are two points ahead of drop zone-threatened Baroka and Highlands Park, who are at the bottom of the table with 22 points each.

Failure to produce a win will see the Chilli Boys slip down the PSL standings, should the Lions of the North and Baroka pick up maximum points in their upcoming fixtures.

Despite his anguish, Jonevret expressed confidence in his side, adding that they would turn up against a Chippa side who will go into this clash without their head coach.

Dan “Dance” Malesela was given “special leave” by the club after his side failed to produce a win against Maritzburg United on Tuesday.

They lost 3-2 away from home to the KwaZulu Natal-based outfit.

“There’ still a lot of football – and a lot to play for.

“I still entertain hopes that Pirates will finish strongly this season,” Jonevret said. WITH Ajax Cape Town still in a rather precarious position, Sunday’s PSL fixture against Platinum Stars takes on even greater significance. The two sides meet at the Cape Town Stadium (3pm kickoff), with coach Stanley Menzo fully aware that victory is paramount.

Ajax are in 11th position on the PSL standings, with 26 points, but the critical point is that just four points separates them from last-placed Baroka FC (22 points). That’s how tight it is in the skirmish to avoid relegation from the top flight. At this stage, with five games to play, the Cape side can ill-afford to lose to a team in their vicinity of the league table.

The 2-0 defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns on Tuesday, therefore, probably didn’t concern Menzo all that much because the Pretoria team is among the contenders for the title. But Sunday’s game – Platinum are currently 10th, also 26 points – is highly important for Menzo. These are the fixtures his team should be winning if they are to move away from the dreaded drop zone.

Again, as it has been all season, and probably a few seasons before as well, Ajax’s big problem is turning possession and territorial dominance into goals. It was this area, in fact, which Menzo highlighted as the reason why they lost to Sundowns.

“We played well for 60 minutes,” said Menzo. “But Sundowns’ quality in attack was the big difference. We created chances, and I don’t think it was due to a lack of concentration, it’s just the quality that is lacking. In football, you are always going to have those moments when it is all about what you do with the scoring chances … We couldn’t finish our chances – Sundowns did.”