Komphela played a wrong hand
BELEAGUERED Kaizer Chiefs coach Steve Komphela has admitted that perhaps he shouldn’t have substituted George Lebese in the league match against SuperSport United at Soccer City on Wednesday night.
Lebese had looked to be one of the most effective Chiefs players and it was his equaliser in the first half – the game ended in a 1-1 draw – that ensured a share of the spoils for Komphela’s limping team.
The increasingly pressured Chiefs coach raised eyebrows when he replaced Lebese with Emmanuel Letlotlo late in the second half.
Irate Chiefs fans made their feelings known and vociferously objected to the substitution‚ with some even going as far as directing unprintable venom towards the Amakhosi bench as a visibly upset Lebese left the pitch.
Chiefs lost their sting after the midfielder’s departure and a section of the fans stayed on after the final whistle‚ chanting ‘‘Steve must go‚ Steve must go”.
‘‘Rightly so‚ your people [the fans] said ‘no‚ no, no‚ do not take [Lebese] out’ and they are always right – they can never be wrong. But the one thing you have to do as a coach is to take decisions and you live by your decisions‚” said Komphela.
‘‘If I knew what I know now‚ then obviously the decisions I took throughout the whole match would have been different. But the fact that there is no benefit of hindsight‚ you have to try to push things going forward.
‘‘It is better to take the wrong decision than to remain non-committal. It is part of the game.
‘‘We were looking for fresh legs on the other side of the pitch and when your supporters say ‘no‚ why are you taking him out?’ it is because they love the player.
‘‘But the decision had to be taken and at the back of my mind I was trying to effect some changes in the game‚ bring in some fresh legs. If it doesn’t work then you have to be accountable for the decisions.”
Komphela has chopped and changed his squad since he took over from Stuart Baxter in June 2015 and has seldom same starting 11 in matches.
It is this inconsistency that has led to most of the criticism directed at him. He admitted that most of his problems stem from an inability to field a consistent team.
‘‘If you look at teams that do well‚ they are teams that are consistent with selection and they are also consistent with performance. And if your performance is not as consistent then it does affect your selections and a whole other factors.
‘‘If you look back at before the Free State Stars match [Chiefs lost Telkom Knockout quarterfinal]‚ before the Sundowns match [Chiefs lost the league match 2-1]‚ it was rare for us to make any changes because there was some momentum and consistency in results and performance. So you are right on that.
‘‘But as soon as it doesn’t come through‚ then you have to look at other options.”
Chiefs fifth on standings are the and fielded the successive
in
selections have won four matches‚ drawn four‚ lost two‚ scored 11 goals and amassed 16 points from 10 outings. — TMG Digital