I foresee danger!

G’day

We witnessed two great games this past weekend with the Soweto derby between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday and the El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid on Sunday. A lot of people don’t seem to get the difference between the two matches and therefore call them derbies. El Clasico is not a derby as it is just a high-profile fixture between two rival teams, as they’re from different cities, whereas the derby is two teams from the same neighbourhood and that’s Soweto in this case. Inter Milan playing AC Milan is a derby, but Manchester United playing Liverpool is not a derby, although everyone looks forward to it. The reason I’ bringing this up is because of the conversations that were going on over the weekend about these two mouth-watering games. We were all glued to our television screens watching beautiful football and both teams didn’t disappoint.

On El Clasico

This was the first time in years that we witnessed this crucial and high profile encounter without both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, with the former having left for Juventus while the latter is out injured. I must say, despite the two players’ absence, the game lived up to expectations. You look at the culture and tactical behaviour of Barcelona – they don’t change their style of play. Not even once do they try to play like anyone else, it is always the same thing and this goes to show that the team’s identity is very important regardless of who is on the field. This is the same thing I was talking about last week, with the improvisation of the fullbacks. When you look at Jordi Alba, you’ll be forgiven for thinking he is a left winger when he is actually a left back. Remember I spoke about the importance of having your two fullbacks adding numbers up front when you attack. They give you more bodies going forward, adding more value and creating scoring chances. If you checked most of the goals scored, they were from a transition phase and wing play. It was just unbelievable! I predicted a 4-0 win for Barca, but if you cancel one goal from each side, then I got it right, ha, ha, ha. I like Barcelona’s tactical discipline and even at 4-1 they didn’t drop the ball and remained focussed and played as if it was still a tight game that they needed to win. It takes a lot of mental strength and maturity to do that. You can tell that everyone is on the same page and they will make it a point that they play to the final whistle and score as many goals as possible. Barcelona are always expected to create havoc for the opposition and Madrid haven’t been the same team so far this season. They don’t possess the same threat we’ve always known them for, but I must say there was a stage in the second half where I thought Madrid were controlling the game well. It was a really good game to watch, with so many lessons for one to learn from. Congratulations to Barca who were the deserved winners on the day. They really deserved everything they got out of that match.

On Soweto Derby

Let me also congratulate Pirates on their Soweto Derby win. There’s so much one can talk about on that game, but with all respect to the two teams’ technical teams and head coaches, I’m not in a position to analyse what transpired, what should have happened or what shouldn’t have happened. At the end of the day, we saw good football and there was a winner instead of a number of draws that we’ve been complaining about. There were goals and a lot of chances that were unfortunately missed by both teams. It was evident that the team that came with a better strategy won the game, without taking anything away from Chiefs because they were unfortunate as they also had chances but couldn’t find the back of the net. There are certain things that I personally saw, knowing the derby, and you must remember that I have played and coached in a Soweto Derby. So I know everything there is to know about the magnitude of this game and what it means to our people. It was unfortunate for Chiefs because when you go out there, you have a responsibility to put a smile on your supporters’ faces, but it was just not to be for them, once again. I would have loved to see Chiefs win this one but, like I said, it was just not to be as Pirates collected maximum points. When I saw the penalty saved by Itumeleng Khune, I felt it was game on for Chiefs and that the boys would rise to the occasion, as things looked to be going their way, only to find that discipline, tactical awareness and the courage Pirates players had was hard to overcome. You know, it is very rare to find a team that miss a penalty, in such a game, and go on to win it. Very rare. Missed opportunities usually guarantee that you lose the game. Having said that, you’ve got to give credit to Pirates because, after missing that penalty, they didn’t drop their heads but came back like a house on fire. They were just unstoppable and it was wave after wave of attack. At one stage, they camped in the Chiefs half for almost 20 minutes and they were unbelievable. You also look at the goals they scored and you can see that they wanted to win it more. We have to give credit where it is due and congratulate Pirates on their impressive win. Let’s also congratulate both teams for a wonderful game, not forgetting the wellbehaved and passionate supporters who created an amazing atmosphere. It is back to the drawing board for Chiefs as there are more games to play and the derby isn’t the only game that wins you championship, although it is better to gain points than to drop them.

On Telkom Knockout

We are in for the quarterfinals of the Telkom Knockout this weekend and I foresee danger! We might see a couple of surprises this weekend. Who? Where? When? I don’t know, but watch this space! There might be a surprise in store for us this weekend. Good night Doctor Khumalo