THE BACKPAGE phakaaathi.co.za Steve’s tactics lauded
PAEZ: COACH MADE THE NECESSARY CHANGES, THAT WAS THE TURNING POINT
However, opposing coach says he fears for future of national side.
Match-winner Gustavo Paez praised Steve Komphela for his tactical switch that enabled Kaizer Chiefs to scrape past 10-man semi-professional side Acornbush United and reach the Nedbank Cup quarterfinals on Sunday.
Trailing 1-0 against the ABC Motsepe League side, who had also had a man sent off, Komphela took off two of his defenders and replaced them with attackers, a tactic which worked as Chiefs turned the game around in the second half. Paez was one of those changes, and he netted both of Amakhosi’s goals.
“The coach made the necessary changes when we were trailing and that became the turning point for us,” said Paez.
Chiefs didn’t play particularly well, certainly according to Acornbush coach McDonald Makhubedu, who lambasted Komphela’s team for a poor performance.
“If this is the biggest team in the country, the national team is going to suffer,” Makhubedu told SuperSport after the game.
Chiefs veteran Siphiwe Tshabalala responded to Makhubedu’s criticism yesterday, as he picked up the Absa Premiership Goal-ofthe-Month award for March.
“We are a big team, yes we are a work in progress and we cannot obviously control what other people say,” said Tshabalala.
Tshabalala added that they have been working hard and know that they still owe their fans some silverware, as the team have not won any trophies in the past two seasons.
“We have had a good run but we haven’t won anything. We need to keep working hard … I am happy with my personal contribution this season but obviously I always want to improve on my performances,” said the 32-year-old.
Amakhosi are still in the running for both the Nedbank Cup and Absa Premiership and Tshabalala believes that the bigger the number of teams chasing for titles, the better for football growth in the country.
“I believe it is good for South African football that we no longer have only two or three giants. Anybody can win the league these days,” he said.
The Glamour Boys are in action again tomorrow in a league match against a resurgent Bloemfontein Celtic at the Dr Molemela Stadium. A win for Komphela’s thirdplaced side will ensure they keep up the pace with leaders Cape Town City and Bidvest Wits.