Win in epic Soweto clash eludes Komphela again
Steve has only won in unofficial fixtures
At times during the Soweto Derby it didn’t seem fair that Kaizer Chiefs coach Steve Komphela was up against two football brains on the Orlando Pirates bench.
Who would have thought that the combination of Milutin Sredojevic from Prokuplje in Serbia and Rhulani Mokwena from Orlando, Soweto would prove such a masterstroke?
One is an African football scholar, while the other is a modern technical genius.
All lonesome on the Chiefs bench, Komphela stood little chance against the meticulous tactical preparation that went into the game at the weekend.
It did not help that Chiefs players had stage fright during the match.
There were times in the first half where Komphela almost invaded the pitch to instruct Siyabonga Ngezana, Willard Katsande and Wiseman Meyiwa where to pass the ball.
Ngezana could not keep up with the speedy opposition attackers, while it was a mistake from Katsande that led to the opening goal from Thembinkosi Lorch.
With both Ryan Moon and Leonardo Castro aerially dominant, the better ploy would have been to bombard Pirates with crosses into the box for the two strikers to finish.
“Maybe we won the ones that do not matter most,” Komphela said, referring to unofficial pre-season games.
“I’m not a defensive person. I would have loved to have won the derby.”
The tactician from Kroonstad accepted that he was outmatched.
“We have to be realistic as professionals and never be in denial in any scenario.”
It will go down as a blemish on his CV that he failed to beat Pirates during his three-year tenure at Naturena, after two losses and four draws in the league.