Tough task ahead for Malesela
IT was business as usual yesterday as coach Dan Malesela returned to the training ground with Chippa United after management recalled him from special leave at the weekend.
Malesela, who returned to the Bay on Sunday after a couple of weeks in the wilderness due to poor results, faces a Herculean task in trying to rescue Chippa United’s fate in the PSL.
The club is in the midst of a serious battle against relegation, and it appears Malesela was recalled as part of a desperate move by management to stave off the big drop.
Chippa are second from the bottom on the log, level on points with last-placed Baroka but ahead on goal difference.
With only two more games left before the end of the season, Malesela will have to come up with a master plan to keep the club’s head above water.
They have tough back-to-back fixtures this week, during which they play SuperSport United twice, once in the PSL tomorrow at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (7.30pm) and again on Saturday in the Nedbank Cup semifinal at the Sisa Dikashe Stadium (3pm). Malesela said cool heads were needed. “The other clubs still have to play each other,” he said.
“The most important thing is to focus on the game that we play against SuperSport.
“I see that a number of their players have yellow cards [and will not be playing tomorrow]. I think it’s deliberate so that they can focus on the cup match this weekend.
“But we cannot really rely on that. The players that have not been playing will want to impress so that they can play against us in the Nedbank Cup. So, we really have to be careful.”