Win just tonic for Chilli Boys ahead of cup
Chippa now want Platinum’s scalp Ndora goal prowess all down to Muhsin’s magic Asec playmaker joins Downs
CHIPPA United will be aiming to banish their knockout cup hoodoo when they play Platinum Stars in an MTN8 quarterfinal at Royal Bafokeng Stadium, in Rustenburg tomorrow (kick-off 3pm).
Since their involvement in knockout matches in the 2013-14 season, Chippa have never passed the first round and they desperately want to remedy that against Dikwena tomorrow afternoon.
And coach Dan “Dance” Malesela is seen as the technical wizard who can turn their fortune around.
The Chilli Boys finished in an impressive sixth place last season to book themselves a place in the lucrative MTN8 competition where they stand a chance to walk away with a massive R8million in prize-money.
After their superb start in the league in beating Free State Stars 2-1 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Tuesday they will be confident they have what it takes to progress to the semifinals tomorrow.
Malesela says he hatched a special gameplan to keep Platinum Stars at bay. But he was not prepared to divulge exactly what that entails.
But in comparing cup matches to the league fixtures the former Cape Town All Stars coach said teams should always have a solid backline in cup games.
“You would need to be a bit tighter in a cup game than in a league game in terms of your defending,” he said.
“In the cup game the approach would be a bit tighter and safer.”
In the 2014-15 season the Chilli Boys lost 1-0 to Stars in the Telkom Knockout Challenge which was followed by a 4-2 defeat on penalties by ABC Motsepe side Natal United.
Last season, Chippa lost 2-0 to Mamelodi Sundowns in the Telkom Knockout Challenge.
They were also knocked out of the Nedbank Cup by Baroka FC 3-2 at Buffalo City Stadium.
Malesela has not been backwards in coming forward when speaking of his ambitions for Chippa United.
Besides wanting to be a side that dominates in the league, winning trophies is on top of his ‘to-do’ list this season.
Looking at how far the team has progressed, Malesela is confident that the squad he has assembled this season is good enough to get results and also win that silverware.
“We have competitions on offer and we want to win something. If we can challenge for the league so be it.
“I think we have squad good enough to do that. I think the competition we have created among the players is good enough to put pressure on individuals and also to compete against their peers in the league.
“So, I think we have a good enough team to challenge for most of the competitions that will be on offer,” he said. ON-FIRE Orlando Pirates striker Tendai Ndoro said the team’s success was thanks to the training methods of head coach Muhsin Ertugral.
Speaking after netting a hat-trick to help Pirates beat Golden Arrows 3-1 at Orlando Stadium this week, the 28year-old said his goals were as a result of their new training regime.
Ndoro referred to his first goal that was a well-worked move by midfielder Mpho Makola and Thabo Rakhale, with the latter playing the final pass to Ndoro, who applied a cool finish.
“The first goal you can see is from training and the coach always tells us to time [the runs].
“He says, ‘Don’t just run when the other player is not ready to cross the ball’.
“If you look at all the goals, it is from training, so if we follow the coach’s instructions every game, we have a chance to score,” said Ndoro.
He further pointed out that Ertugral wanted him in the box to increase his chances of scoring, which is what he encouraged last season’s league top goalscorer Collins Mbesuma to do when they were at Mpumalanga Black Aces.
Ndoro continued: “There was a goal chance in the first half and I wasn’t in the box and at halftime the coach said, ‘What are you doing? You are not in the box and that’s where I want you’.
“We are lucky to have such a great coach.”
Ertugral, for his part, is convinced that the striker can hit the 20-goal mark this season but needs to believe more in his ability to score goals. “He has such great quality. “We spoke at the beginning of the season and I had a long chat with him about what kind of potential he has and actually, he doesn’t know it himself.
“It is quite amazing what possibilities he has and the 20 [goal] mark . . . he has to touch it this season,” said Ertugral. IVORIAN club Asec Mimosas have announced they have sold playmaker Yannick Zakri to Mamelodi Sundowns.
The club posted on their official Facebook page yesterday that a deal for the midfielder to transfer to the Premier Soccer League champions Sundowns has been concluded.
The post read: “Yannick Zakri Krahire transferred to Mamelodi Sundowns
“After the transfer of Siaka Tiene and Soumahoro Bangaly‚ Mimosas striker Yannick Zakri Krahire will continue his career in this great club‚ South African champion and current semifinalist in the Champions League. Indeed‚ the two clubs [who have been] working together for several years agreed on the transfer of the player. Asec Mimosas wish him good luck for the rest of his career.” — TMG Digital