Under-pressure Chiefs seek Cup redemption
City out to build on their great start with a giant-killing act in MTN8
IN a classic case of the rookies against the giants, Cape Town City will go up against the country’s best- supported club in Kaizer Chiefs in the hurly-burly of a cup match at the Cape Town Stadium tonight (kickoff 8pm).
The MTN8 competition features the top eight finishers in the PSL last season, all pursuing the winner’s cheque of R8 million, with the final scheduled for October 1.
Adding spice to tomorrow’s quarter-final is the fact that City, a newly-constituted and relocated club after Mpumalanga Black Aces (fourth in the league last year) were bought by local businessman John Comitis, won their first league game on Tuesday, while Chiefs stuttered to a 2-1 defeat against Wits.
The battle between the teams is what tonight is all about, but it is in the nature of South African football that coaches start to feel the heat from fans very soon if their team is not winning.
So Chiefs coach Steve Komphela will be wanting to bounce back after Tuesday’s setback, while his City counterpart Eric Tinkler has done everything right up to now with the new side.
The competition requires three victories to net the big prize, while the other seven teams, including the eventual losing finalists, earn R800 000 each.
Chiefs’ success over the years needs no explanation.
In contrast, City are in their inaugural campaign in the top-flight. The Cape team has had to build a squad from scratch, while Chiefs’ notable history ensures there is always a settled style and culture about their approach.
Chiefs and City are coated with different emotions on an evening – because it’s a cup game – where the result is paramount. For Chiefs, accustomed to success, the pressure is already on.
For City, there is a mood of optimism after Tuesday’s victory over Polokwane City. They’ve settled the nerves and made a strong statement of intent – now the challenge is to continue the momentum, against one of the biggest foes.
“The pressure is on Chiefs,” said Tinkler. “They come into the game as favourites, but they also now have the added pressure of having lost their opening game.
“I expect they’ll come out motivated and inspired to turn that around, and we will have to be ready. While Chiefs may think that they will come through this match easily, we want to make it difficult for them.”
Komphela acknowledged the plight in which he and his team find themselves, but explained his philosophy of pressure in his usual, unique manner.
“The seat is getting hot, but you have to be addicted to it,” said Komphela.
“This is a fantastic brand, it’s a great job, who wouldn’t want it? But you have
to embrace the pressure... It’s not about me coaching Chiefs, it’s about me representing the team, the brand – because you need to do right, and the most important people are the supporters, you have to make them happy.
Tinkler said the spirit in his squad is high and he sees tonight’s cup tie as another opportunity for him to gauge where they currently are as a team, and as a club. “Obviously, it was very important that we started on a positive note,” said the former Bafana Bafana midfielder. “Beating Polokwane on Tuesday was good for the squad’s motivation and desire. It sets things up for a tough game against a strong and competitive Chiefs.
“Former Orlando Pirates players like Lehlohonolo Majoro and Tshepo Gumede will be used to coming up against Chiefs, but, for the new foreign players in the team, this will be a very different environment to what they are used to. As a coach, my job is to take my knowledge of Chiefs’ style and approach, and the strengths and weaknesses of their players, and pass it on to the squad in our desire for a positive result.”
As for Komphela, while he is cognisant of the Wits defeat, he is adamant that they won’t get caught out by the PSL newbies tonight .
“We’ve seen who City are, we’ve seen what they can do,” said the former Bafana skipper. “We saw their structure, we saw their system… Looking at their game Did you know? CAPE TOWN CITY may be new to the PSL, but the club has its roots firmly entrenched in the annals of South African football. In fact, there is one special footballer both City and Kaizer Chiefs have in common: the incomparable Frank “Jingles” Pereira. Before being revived as a team this season, City were very popular and successful in the 1970s. Portugal-born Pereira played for City from 1973-79, after which he joined against Polokwane, it was only when (Lebogang) Manyama came on that their game changed. He brought the right levels of arrogance and he is an intelligent footballer. But we’ll have a plan for them…
“We are anxious for this cup tie. After the loss to Wits, we know the responsibility on our shoulders and we want to rectify the mistakes we made. We may not have got any joy against Wits, but there are no negatives, we remain highly optimistic. While we didn’t impose our game on Wits, come Friday we will, and we will do so with confidence.” Chiefs, where he would go on to become a cult figure among the dedicated and obsessed faithful who follow the Soweto side. To emphasise Pereira’s distinctive, extraordinary ability, he was City’s top goal-scorer in 1973 and 1974, but his fame and acclaim at Chiefs was as a central defender, alongside celebrated Amakhosi backline men like Johannes “Ryder” Mofokeng, Simon “Bull” Lehoko and Nick “Yster” Sikwane. – Rodney Reiners