Chiefs wary of Downs threat
HAVING a team like Mamelodi Sundowns bearing down on you with as many games in hand as they have cannot be easy for the frontrunners in the Absa Premiership.
Kaizer Chiefs coach Steve Komphela‚ preparing for his team to meet Highlands Park at Moses Mabhida Stadium this evening (6pm)‚ said the best thing for the front-runners to do is pick up as many points as possible‚ so making life difficult for Downs.
Komphela’s logic seems self-explanatory to some extent but he is right too.
For if teams like Chiefs in third place relax at any time‚ they will make the task of catch-up easy for fifthplaced Downs to gobble the points difference up.
Komphela was asked if he agreed with league leaders Bidvest Wits’ coach Gavin Hunt that African champions Downs, having played three to five games less than all the teams above them, makes the PSL currently a “false” league.
“I don’t want to say it’s not false‚ because I don’t know what analogy he [Hunt] was using‚” Komphela said.
“But to be honest with you‚ it’s highly competitive. It is just a reflection of how tight it is that lose a match and you fall two spots‚ win a match and all of a sudden you’re on top of the log.
“One thing I’ve picked up is that even those who still have to play matches‚ it comes with some psychology to deal with that.
“Because you are dealing with people who have points. And you have to play your matches as catch-up. And the number of matches behind also means there is workload on their players.
“And dynamics change. It means you are going to have lots of suspensions‚ lack of form‚ injuries.
“So inasmuch as they have a lot of matches to play‚ they also have to keep their form.
“And they’re not going to win all your matches. This is football and you don’t do that.”
Komphela said the situation makes it important for the teams above Sundowns to run their own race.
“Sundowns have five matches to catch up on us. So it makes it difficult for them‚” Chiefs’ coach said.
“Add points so that their task takes more effort and concentration. And the more effort and concentration you give‚ it’s tiring. How long can they last?”
Komphela expects a tough game from Gordon Igesu Highlands‚ who are desperate to get out of second-last place.
“They can play. Up-front‚ they pose a big threat. In wide areas. Even in the midfield‚” Komphela said.
“So when you look at their team going forward‚ you realise that they try to threaten. And if you don’t take control of that they will give you problems.” — TMG