City look to extend bubble form
CAPE Town City coach Jan Olde Riekerink is approaching the final phase of the season like “another bubble”.
City were the form team when the 2019/20 season resumed after lockdown when all the teams were placed in a bio-bubble in Gauteng to finish off the season.
It was the Dutchman’s first season in charge at the Citizens and he was able to turnaround a campaign that had been floundering.
City have not been that poor this season – in fact they have played beautiful football on occasion – but have not always managed to get the results required. Their latest stretch of games has been particularly disappointing with City unable to pick up a victory in their last seven league outings.
But with the season approaching the business end, Olde Riekerink believes City can rediscover their “bubble” form.
“We go into the last phase of 10 games in the league. We know our goals and where we want to end. We know that our next five games, except away to Chiefs, are all home games. So, we want to make it more or less another bubble. A bubble of 10 games where we also have to get the points,” Olde Riekerink said.
City’s problem in the early stages of the season was the manner in which they were leaking goals aplenty. They were finding the net regularly, but could not manage to keep it out at the other end.
Over the past few matches, despite the results not being forthcoming, they have been much tighter in defence. But their goalscorers have now lost their touch.
“We are conceding less goals so we have repaired that. Now we have to score goals. It’s almost like when I started. Repairing one side, and go back to who we are focus on scoring the goals,” he said.
Olde Riekerink is certainly hoping to break the winless streak this Saturday when they face Baroka FC at Cape Town Stadium.
“This has been a strange season because of Covid. We had a short break between the seasons and sometimes now at this stage we need to give the players a rest.
“The first game of the 10 is Baroka. They are a tough team, we know how they play and their qualities. But I prefer to focus on us and how we play, and this is one of the 10 games we want a result,” Olde Riekerink said.