Komphela looks on bright side for Celtic
The uncertainty over the sale of Bloemfontein Celtic has been disruptive and frustrating to the financially distressed side, but coach Steve Komphela is preferring to focus on things he can control to ensure that the club succeeds on the pitch.
Celtic crashed out of the Telkom Knockout after an opening round 1-0 defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday and a philosophical Komphela said he has told his players to always remember their obligation to supporters despite challenges.
“Each one of the players understands that we have an obligation to the supporters and good performances like these against a strong team like Mamelodi Sundowns are points of reference.
“We lost the game but I am happy that we are getting better and getting somewhere as a team under the circumstances that the club finds itself in‚” Komphela said.
“It’s about focus and control and I know those are big words.
“Focus is everything because you have to control emotions and if I can’t control my thoughts then I will say the wrong things.
“In any situation‚ no matter how dire it is‚ you can’t be controlled by emotions.”
Asked to reflect on the match‚ Komphela echoed Sundowns counterpart Pitso Mosimane’s sentiments that the game was good to watch and value for money for the fans who braved the chilly weather.
“Apart from the goal and the result‚ I thought it was a nice match to watch‚” he said.
“It was a sensible game of football and both teams by virtue of being possession based were immediately pressing.
“In a game where two teams were playing counter-pressing‚ there was going to be a lot of duels. I thought we managed that well and came out of their press zones. The only thing we lacked on the night was a goal.”
While Komphela suspected that the only goal of the match by Gaston Sirino in the second half may have been offside‚ he said he would take the defeat on the chin if proved otherwise.