Character needed – Malesela
CHIPPA United players need to build character and own up to the task going forward, say coach Dan Malesela.
His demand came after the Port Elizabeth side had their second Premier Soccer League defeat on Tuesday night, going down 1-0 to Bidvest Wits at the Dobsonville Stadium.
Chippa’s first loss was away against Golden Arrows and since then they have been struggling to bounce back.
They have been winless in five matches, which include league and cup games, since their 4-1 win over Baroka FC.
From the recent three games played, Chippa have only managed to secure two points out of a possible nine.
“Two different halves completely. We were disappointing in the second half,” Malesela said of the game against Wits.
“I think we succumbed to the pressure they put on us, which is very unusual, because we are used to that. We want the teams to do that, that is where we start breaking them up.
“We made some bad errors. Sometimes we over elaborate things and we got punished for the one mistake,” he said.
“Wits were struggling in the first half, but they just knuckled down and worked hard.
“We need a bit of character and a bit of ownership to our responsibilities, because at times we are a bit dodgy.”
Malesela said he was concerned that even though his side were playing well, the results were not coming.
Asked if he was under pressure, he said: “There is always pressure, whether you’re No 1 on the log and leading with 15 points, you still have pressure.
“It’s good these things [losses] are happening now. We are only on our seventh game.
“We all need to wake up – myself, the players and everyone at the club. There are things we have to do.”
Asked about his new signing, former Bafana Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns player Katlego Mashego’s performance against the Clever Boys, the coach said there were glimpses of the good things to come from the striker.
With a two week Fifa break ahead, Malesela said there was ample time for Mashego and the other players to get to know each other better.