Ertugral’s Aces a tough task for Ajax
Cape side’s Graham says: We need the three points
TUESDAY DECEMBER 15
A2015 JAX CAPE TOWN are fully aware of the Muhsin-factor as they prepare to take on highriding Mpumalanga Black Aces in a PSL fixture in Mbombela on Saturday night (8.15pm).
Fiery Turkey-born coach Muhsin Ertugral is currently at the helm of much-improved Aces, but he also has the benefit of three previous spells in charge of Ajax (2006, 2009 and 2013). If there’s a coach who knows what makes Ajax tick, it’s Ertugral…
And Ajax captain Travis Graham, who was in the squad when the Turk was in the Mother City in 2013, acknowledged the impact his former coach could have on Saturday’s fixture.
“Muhsin is an aggressive coach,” said Graham. “But he helped make many of the youngsters in the Ajax squad stronger, both mentally and physically. I have to say that I learnt quite a lot from him.
“And you can see the effect he’s having on Aces now. He’s a clever coach and we will have to be careful… he’s always got new plans and tactics for a game, and I’m sure it will be no different for us on Saturday.”
Graham admits things haven’t been going too well for Ajax of late, but he was confident that things would soon get back on track.
“Look, it’s been a bit of an up and down time for us,” said the 22-year-old Ajax captain. “We won the MTN8 competition, but then we lost a friend and close teammate in Cecil Lolo… It’s been tough on the squad, I can assure you. But I think we are all slowly coming out of it and we are ready to start delivering again. We certainly need the three points on offer this weekend, we are not in a very good log position at the moment.”
Graham also had time to reflect on Ajax’s upcoming campaign in the CAF Confederations Cup. The Cape side is set to take on GD Sagrada Esperança of Angola in February next year. While Graham admitted they knew nothing of their opponents, he was confident that head coach Roger de Sa’s experience on the continent would prove invaluable.
De Sa was in charge of Orlando Pirates when the Soweto team went all the way to the African Champions League final two years ago.
“Playing in an African competition will be challenging,” said Graham. “We will have to deal with many different circumstances, like the weather, the travel and the accommodation… But the coach (De Sa) has been there, he knows what it takes to prepare for football on the rest of the continent.
“As youngsters, for many of us this will be the first time in such a competition, and it’s important that we listen to those that have been there before. We need to draw on their experiences.”