Recent form doesn’t count for much in the derby

WHAT has almost gone unnoticed in the build up to this afternoon’s sold out Soweto Derby between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs is that the latter haven’t won a game in open play in three outings.

A lot of the focus has been on what the Buccaneers’ assistant coach Rhulani Mokwena said about Amakhosi tactician Giovanni Solinas – that it’s his which that makes him look good, not his technical ability.

Solinas chose not to respond, only willing to say these comments took him by surprise and that perhaps journalists are responsible for blowing this out of all proportion because “coaches don’t talk in this manner.”

All this has overshadowed the fact that Chiefs, third on the Absa Premiership standings after nine matches, have hit a dry spell, being held to a goalless draw by Highlands Park and then losing 1-0 to Polokwane City in the league before beating Black Leopards on penalties in the Telkom Knockout.

Prior to that, the Glamour Boys looked to have been finally adjusting to coach Solinas’ methods by picking up wins over Cape Town City (4-1), Free State Stars (2-0) and AmaZulu (2-0) before the Fifa break last month, even earning the Italian mentor the Coach of the Month accolade.

They say current form doesn’t count for much during the Soweto Derby, but this really isn’t a factor these days. You are as good as your last game.

“To win the derby, psychologically, it’s very important,” Solinas said this week.

“The impact to the team is massive. But you know, in this job, the players and the coach need balance, mental balance. So we need to keep strong. Pirates are a good team. Last season they did very well and ended in second, and now they will participate in the African Champions League (while Chiefs have had to settle for the less prestigious Confederation Cup) this season. They have improved and they bought good players. It’s just too good a team.”

This will be Solinas’ first time in front of the expected 82 000 capacity crowd at FNB Stadium. He revealed this week that the most he’d ever seen in a stadium while sitting in the dugout was 18 000 during his brief spell in charge of ES Setif in Algeria some eight years ago.

A win over the Buccaneers will also be his first big scalp as Amakhosi coach following a draw in their league opener away to reigning champions Sundowns, defeat to Wits and being eliminated by SuperSport in the MTN8.