Benni berates Polokwane City

Cape Town City coach Benni McCarthy has slammed teams placed in the top half of the Absa Premiership table which go into defensive mode from the first minute against his side.

The outspoken McCarthy said such tactics and game plans by the opposition called into question the depth and quality of this league, widely regarded as one of the best on the continent.

McCarthy spoke after his side’s 0-0 draw with sixthplaced Polokwane City on Friday at home, when the visitors barely got out of their own half and showed little ambition to try and win the game.

The former Bafana Bafana star striker was left bewildered that a team so high up the table arrived in Cape Town for a point and did not back themselves to get anything beyond that.

“City goalkeeper Peter (Leeuwenburgh) had one involvement in the whole game and that was in the first half‚” he said.

“And this is the team lying in sixth? Sies man!

“My philosophy is guns blazing‚ I am a hellraiser‚ I am going for it and I don’t respect no-one. “I’m not scared of no-one. “I tell my team to be brave. “You get this chance one time [in your life] – when the football [career] is finished‚ you should have no regret‚” McCarthy said, implying he would never visit an opponent with a draw on his mind.

“I’m not scared‚ but not everybody is young and thinks like me.

“They look and they say‚ ‘Ja‚ but Benni‚ he takes risks and he’ll get away with it because people like him and they appreciate the fact that he takes chances’.

“We have shown that we respect no team and we go for it‚ we don’t change our way of playing.”

McCarthy said he expected more from a Polokwane side that could have drawn level with his team on the log with a victory and are still in with an outside chance of winning the league title.

“They were how many points behind us? Three points? Gee whiz‚ then you wonder about the strength of the league.

“If the team that is sitting in sixth‚ and is three points behind the team in third‚ had no intention of playing football.”

But Polokwane City coach Jozef Vukusic said his team’s main target this season remained a top eight finish, despite the fact that they have an outside chance of lifting the title.

City are considered rank outsiders to win the league‚ but with those around them showing inconsistent form and a sixpoint gap between themselves and the top‚ they cannot be considered out of it quite yet.

They are on a six-game unbeaten run in the league and a negotiable run-in with home matches against Black Leopards‚ Bloemfontein Celtic and Chippa United and away trips to Highlands Park‚ Cape Town City and a final day visit to Orlando Pirates.

Vukusic says they are taking it game by game as the season comes to a close and their target remains a top-half finish.

“Our target before the start of the season was top half.

“Important is that we go game to game now – the next match is only in three weeks‚ so we must use that time and come back to beat Black Leopards in the derby game.

“Important for me is that we play to our potential.

“As the season has gone on‚ we have improved a lot in organisation and the players know their roles.”

Asked who he thought were favourites to win the league‚ Vukusic said for him it was between Mamelodi Sundowns and Cape Town City.

“Sundowns look like they can do it‚ but even Cape Town City‚ why not?

“Everywhere they go they can collect points‚” he said.

Vukusic denied a draw was on his mind, though, and said he asked his players to go for the win.

“Our target was not to play 0-0‚ I told the players at halftime to try and score.

“But that was what we could do today.

“It was the first time in a long time that we have not scored,” he said.