Majoro has opportunity Khune wants Chiefs out of ‘comfort zone’ to make a statement
NEW Cape Town City coach Benni McCarthy is confident his team will get goals this season. He has only been working with the team for a short while, but he believes that, as time passes, and as he infuses the players with his knowledge and experience of composure in the penalty area, the scoring ratio will improve, especially the experienced Lehlohonolo Majoro.
The Cape side hosts Polokwane City in a MTN8 quarter-final at Cape Town Stadium tomorrow (3pm kickoff ) – and Majoro, nicknamed Major, has the perfect opportunity to make an early statement of intent with regards to his objective to get more goals this season.
“Major (Majoro) has the experience,” said McCarthy, pictured above. “We are working him as hard as possible to get him in the best possible shape. We want to get him sharp because he knows where the goals are. We’ve also got Lebo (Lebogang Manyama), who can get you plenty of goals as an attacking midfielder. Ayanda Patosi is on board and he, too, can chip in with a few goals. In fact, I think there are a number of players in the squad who have goals in them.”
Goals have always been in short supply in South African football, be it at club or national level. It is why last season’s top marksman in the PSL wasn’t a striker, but rather Manyama, the City captain and attacking midfielder, who needed only 13 goals to win the PSL’s Golden Boot award.
McCarthy, a lethal goal-scorer during his playing days, wants to change this status quo. He is determined to get his team scoring more consistently, and the player he is banking on to get the bulk of the goals is Majoro.
A proven marksman in spells with AmaZulu and Kaizer Chiefs, Majoro’s career waned during a struggling period at Orlando Pirates. The chance to revive his fortunes arrived when he was signed by City last year – and, while he showed glimpses of his old shine, niggling injuries prevented him from giving full vent to his scoring prowess.
This season, the 30-year-old forward from Ladybrand in the Free State is ready. He’s motivated and determined – and, even more importantly, in McCarthy, he has a coach who knows what it takes to score goals.
“We’ve had a good pre-season programme and a few friendlies in which we measured our sharpness, fitness and shape, and at the same time we got to know more about the new coach’s philosophy and what he expects of the team,” said Majoro. “There’s not a big difference between Eric Tinkler (previous coach) and Benni McCarthy. I think that, with Benni, we will just build up more from the back and try to keep possession more.
“There are always individual goals for players, but, for us, the team always comes first. And, as a team, we want to build on what we did last season. We know that every team in the PSL now wants to beat us. But, judging by the commitment the guys have shown at training, I think we will be ready. The new additions to the squad have brought something different, and they too are with us in the attitude that if we are together, we can conquer.”
Majoro, though, is aware of the threat presented by Polokwane.
“We know that Polokwane can play, they are a good team,” he said. “They beat us 4-2 in the last game of the season a few months ago, and, from that, especially because we were 2-0 up at a stage, we know that we cannot take them lightly. We have to learn from that defeat. Importantly, though, to get the result, we just have to do what we have been doing at training and in the friendly games.
“Obviously, on a more personal note, I Tonight: Bidvest Wits v Golden Arrows, 8pm, Bidvest Stadium Tomorrow: Cape Town City v Polokwane City, 3pm, Cape Town Stadium; Kaizer Chiefs v SuperSport United, 8.15pm, Moses Mabhida Stadium Sunday: Mamelodi Sundowns v Maritzburg United, 3pm, Lucas Moripe Stadium ITUMELENG Khune agrees with the public perception: Kaizer Chiefs players need to put their words into action and help coach Steve Komphela, who is in the final year of his contract, deliver a trophy following two barren seasons. Of course Komphela’s detractors on the other hand believe the former Bafana Bafana captain should have been sacked, but that not being the case Khune believes it’s the players who have to step up in this campaign.
Of course Komphela’s detractors believe the former national captain should have been sacked, but that not being the case, Khune believes it’s the players who have to step up in the upcoming campaign.
There were more words from the Amakhosi skipper ahead of the club’s season opener against SuperSport United in the quarter-finals of the MTN8 to be played in Durban tomorrow. But this time the goalkeeper suggested he, along with his teammates, were under enormous pressure to prove they were capable of ending the unusual drought.
“At the end of last season we went away wondering whether we deserved to play for this club,” Khune said. “But we returned with a fresh approach and much more energised.”
The captain spoke glowingly of Komphela’s methods and attributed the club’s lack of success so far to a poor execution on the players’ part.
“It is not just the coach, who is under pressure. He is a good planner as well as tactician and the players have to execute the plan. We have let him down a couple of times. It is a shame to us as players to go two years without a trophy. We have to take ourselves out of this, ” Khune explained.
To try to remedy that and improve a back four which clearly needed new energy, the club has signed Zimbabwean centreback Teenage Hadebe from Chicken Inn and Philani Zulu from Maritzburg United, who has the advantage of having worked with Komphela in the past.
“We were all a little comfortable,” Khune explained. “The club has gone the extra mile to improve. Teenage is a good defender who listens, but unfortunately he is injured at the moment. Remember we were playing (Lorenzo) Gordinho on the left side of central defence and he is a right-footed player and I think most of the time he struggled. Teenage brings the strength and competition. Zulu is naturally a left-winger, but can play at left-back, and that means he gives Tsepo Masilela and Sibusiso Khumalo competition. That is what we want, and hopefully the team can improve.”@superjourno