Seasoned Mazembe knew just what to do
As a coach, I know what Eric Tinkler is going through after finishing on the losing end for the third time in a continental competition, following SuperSport United’s loss to TP Mazembe in the Caf Confederation Cup final.
I know he will keep up a brave face and he will stay motivated by the fact that this is not the last chance, he still has another opportunity, and maybe next time luck will be on their side.
Tinkler has the necessary experience in club football, espe- cially in continental football. The hunger on his part will always be there. Even had he won it ahead of TP Mazembe, I know he would want to win it again.
One of the major reasons SuperSport lost is because Mazembe are a very experienced side and they know all the strategies and have the right mindset in big matches like these, they know how to control the nerves, and experience can never be bought.
Matsatsantsa wanted to win it but I don’t think in terms of experience in controlling emotions and keeping calm at crucial times SuperSport got it right, and for me that was the big difference between the two, because football wise they are both competitive and comparable.
When you look at the 2-1 lead the Congolese arrived with, they were able to absorb pressure and contain SuperSport in their own yard. In most cases, that happens when you are experienced.
SuperSport tried their best in dealing with pressure in various countries on the continent as they were making their way to the final and playing in the final itself. That on its own, when looked from a broader view, can only translate to them gaining the necessary experience Mazembe possess.
Coming back to domestic football, the Premiership seems to be quite a fascinating one. Orlando Pirates were hovering around eighth place before their win over Bloemfontein Celtic. Now they are second.
Almost every team, as it stands, can push for league honours. Looking at the situation from a distance, you can see our teams are working hard but I don’t think our players are able to execute certain skills effectively.
You will find out that some of the players in the teams are highly technical with their individual and collective abilities. But when you check the tactical application in the team structure, there is a big mismatch. That is a big problem.
You find a player who can dribble and he is exceptionally good at it, but when it comes to executing his skills, you discover he is poor. Some players can create situations and opportunities they need to finish, but when technical skills are required to achieve that, and they are not there.
Some of them dribble at a very high speed and when they have to pass the ball to the next player, it sometimes becomes difficult and then they lose possession easily. Once you lose possession it becomes very difficult to create goalscoring opportunities and in the end that results in the league having a low conversion rate.
We are struggling and we need to find a way to strike a balance between the application of technical skill, simultaneously applied with tactical skill in a team organisation and structure. This needs to change.