Want-away Kiwi told to win first
STEVE Komphela might not go for the same starting lineup and much-talked about gameplan that earned Kaizer Chiefs a stirring win against Mamelodi Sundowns on Tuesday when they meet Orlando Pirates in the Soweto derby today.
But he does want to replicate the performance‚ the Chiefs’ coach said ahead of today’s Absa Premiership clash at FNB Stadium.
At first‚ probed on whether he would replicate the three-centreback defence and quick‚ passing game out of midfield probing for striker Bernard Parker to beat offside with intelligent running‚ Komphela appeared to reveal his hand.
“I think with the number of players that we have right now‚ I think it’s about 20 [due to injuries]‚ it makes your life easier in terms of who you are going to keep‚” the coach said.
“But I don’t know what’s going to happen between now and Saturday‚ 3.30pm. If nothing happens then we’ll go with the plan that we’ve been working on since we played Sundowns on Tuesday.”
Komphela‚ though‚ did later say he WANT-AWAY New Zealander Jeremy Brockie has been told he could leave SuperSport United if he helps the South African club win the Caf Confederation Cup.
The 29-year-old former international striker from rugby hotbed Christchurch had a midyear transfer request rejected with another Pretoria club, Mamelodi Sundowns, keen to sign him.
But a top SuperSport official said this week the Kiwi could be freed to join recently deposed African champions Sundowns during the January transfer window.
“If we have won the Caf Confederation Cup by then, we will be open to offers for Jeremy,” said chief executive Stanley Matthews.
Brockie tops the Confederation might tweak some things.
The coach’s gameplan that saw a Chiefs side hit by injuries in defence stifle Sundowns’ vaunted attack‚ n created the greater number of chances at Loftus Versfeld with a direct approach from the midfield to the strikers resulted in a 2-1 win to Amakhosi on Tuesday.
Komphela‚ with both right-backs Ramahlwe Mphahlele and Kgotso Moleko injured‚ played three centrebacks Cup goal charts with nine, including a hat-trick against Barrack Young Controllers of Liberia in Pretoria.
But his recent international and domestic form has been poor with coach Eric Tinkler regularly taking him off during the second half of matches.
Brockie insists media speculation about a possible switch to Sundowns is not affecting his form, telling reporters that “when I run on the pitch my sole concern is scoring goals”.
Winning the secondary African competition presents a huge challenge for Brockie and SuperSport, though, after being held 1-1 at home by Club Africain of Tunisia in a semifinal first leg. It could have been even worse for SuperSport as they equalised with only three including 19-year-old debutant goalscorer Siyabonga Ngezana. Little winger Joseph Molangoane was at wingback.
This ensured neither Ngezana nor Molangoane were too exposed defensively and the latter had freedom to still attack.
Sundowns were snuffed out‚ even though they had almost all the ball.
When Chiefs did win the ball it was recycled at speed through their midfielders‚ minutes left when Thabo Mnyamane tapped in the rebound after his weak penalty was saved.
Mnyamane suffered a groin injury when SuperSport won the first domestic knockout final of the season last weekend and misses the return match in Rades tomorrow.
Club Africain, who were 2011 Confederation Cup runners-up to MAS Fes of Morocco, snatched a potentially precious away goal through a Saber Khalifa penalty.
The Tunisians began their quest for a second Caf title after the 1991 African Cup of Champions Clubs (now Caf Champions League) by trouncing RSLAF of Sierra Leone 9-1 in Tunis.
They also won five subsequent home matches in Africa and, among them some fine passers like Siphiwe Tshabalala‚ George Maluleka and the steadily improving Hendrick Ekstein.
It was put to Komphela that a combination of this counterattack and Chiefs’ normal pressing game might make Amakhosi deadly. “I think so‚” he responded. “Sometimes we coaches tend to be rigid. But you need some element of flexibility. — DDC given a goalless draw will suffice for overall victory, are expected to eliminate SuperSport.
Title-holders TP Mazembe of the DRC take a 1-0 lead over 2010 Confederation Cup winners FUS Rabat to Morocco in the other semifinal. Congolese striker Ben Malango, one of the finds of the competition this season, scored his sixth goal to give the “Ravens” a narrow advantage ahead of the second leg late today.
Mazembe can expect to spend much more time defending in Rabat than they did at home and the absence of injured Mali centre-back Salif Coulibaly is a serious blow. While the Congolese are the only unbeaten team having won seven matches and drawn four, FUS boast a fivevictory home record. — AFP