Mlambo makes Sredojevic so proud
With his team safely in the semifinals of the Telkom Knockout, Kaizer Chiefs coach Giovanni Solinas is now focusing on improving on the side’s seventh position in the Absa Premiership standings.
Some may find it a bit cocky for the Italian to claim that after the performance in the 1-0 defeat of SuperSport United he has no fear at all – no matter who the opponents are.
Solinas was mostly impressed by the character his team showed – it is however worth mentioning that Matsatsantsa had some of their key players out with injuries.
“I am happy because after the derby defeat the response from my players was positive. We showed character and desire. I want to thank my boys and congratulate them.
“We knew SuperSport would come back stronger in the second half. They put on another striker and changed their formation. But we had the game under control,” said Solinas.
Amakhosi are back at their original home, the FNB Stadium tomorrow evening where they host Black Leopards in a league match that Solinas has called a must-win.
“But it is over about this game, now we have to focus on the next one. There is unfortunately no time to recover. Our league position is not good.
“We have another game on Wednesday. We need to win the game because we need to improve our position. We are Kaizer Chiefs and we play to win.
“If my team play like they played on Sunday, I have no fear of any team,” he said.
Solinas denied that the thought of playing Orlando Pirates again in just less than three weeks (the two meet in the TKO semifinals) would have an effect on his side’s performances in the next two games.
However, he admitted it will be difficult when they host Chippa United at Moses Mabhida Stadium without their fans, as they serve a second of their two-match supporters’ ban. Micho Sredojevic has heaped praise on midfielder Xola Mlambo (left) after he helped Orlando Pirates reach the semifinals of the Telkom Knockout last Saturday following a 3-1 win over AmaZulu FC.
The former Bidvest Wits player was on the scoresheet for the Buccaneers against Usuthu and has been a revelation in the midfield for the Soweto giants.
His performance pleased the Bucs coach, who went on to admit that there were some games where Mlambo’s performance was down and he needed him to stay on top of his game with many important matches coming up, starting with a league game against Polokwane City at the Peter Mokaba Stadium tonight.
“He had a slight fall in performance in some of the matches if you remember, even against Chippa United, he was not at his best. He upped his performance during the derby and topped it by scoring a goal (against AmaZulu). He is a complete midfielder, a midfielder who organises the game for you, a midfielder who can win the ball, a midfielder who gives a pass for a goal to be scored,” said Sredojevic.
“I hope this is an injection of motivation for him in the days ahead of us because we have some important matches. I hope he completes his football identity and is able to do
“Yes the fans made a difference – the fans push us. Playing without them is very difficult. When we don’t have our fans it gives the advantage to the other team,” he said.
Chiefs lost 1-0 to Polokwane City at the same venue in the first of their matches without their fans, as per the Premier Soccer League’s Disciplinary Committee ruling. everything that is done by midfielders.”
The Bucs coach also had something to share about attacker Thembinkosi Lorch, who was named Man of the Match after scoring twice against Usuthu.
“He injured himself against AmaZulu in April, he was out for a long time after breaking his shoulder. It was hard to come back. It has been a bumpy road for him, but the performance was very important to show everyone he had not been called up to the national team by accident.”
The Buccaneers go into their game with Polokwane City in second place on 19 points, while Rise and Shine are fourth with 17 points in the bag. With or without Lionel Messi, Barcelona FC have proved they are still capable of outclassing teams as they head into their Uefa Champions League clash with Inter-Milan tonight.
The Catalan giants’ skipper suffered a fractured arm during the 4-2 league victory over Sevilla on October 20. He missed one of the club’s most important fixtures when Barca took on Real Madrid, but they were able to do the job, crushing their bitter enemies 5-1.
Barcelona won their home game 2-0 against Inter and they find themselves on top of Group B with nine points having registered three wins, while Inter are second on the group with six points after the same number of games.
Looking at head-to-head stats, Barcelona have won three of their six Champions League matches against Inter, with the only defeat coming in the first leg of the semifinal in the 2009/10 season.
The sides head into this clash fresh from victories in their domestic leagues, with Inter winning 5-0 against Genoa, while Barcelona recorded a 3-2 victory against Rayo Vallecano. For this game though, I will put my money on a Barcelona win.