Tinkler, Komphela return to their old clubs with big points to prove
JOHANNESBURG: Having been forced out of Kaizer Chiefs and SuperSport United last term, Steve Komphela and Eric Tinkler will tonight return to FNB and Lucas Moripe Stadiums. But this time around, the duo return on the visitors’ bench, as Komphela will lead out Bloemfontein Celtic and Tinkler will be guiding Chippa United. Celtic have won all three matches so far, while Chippa has collected just one point in as many games. We look at three things which will impact the duo’s “homecoming”.
MAINTAIN PERFECT START
After a terrific start to the campaign, Komphela and his men will be hoping to make it four-out-of-four against Chiefs tonight. Celtic have not allowed their boardroom saga get in their way of getting the results this season.
And, they’ll be playing their lungs out to inflict more misery on Amakhosi, who have had a poor start in their league campaign under new coach Giovanni Solinas.
CHIEFS POOR START TO THE LEAGUE
Chiefs are yet to lose in the Premiership, but for a team in a hunt for redemption solace, a winless streak of four matches is not good enough. They’ve only endured one goalless draw, but when you score and still concede, the goals become futile. On the other hand, Komphela’s men are yet to concede this season and they’ve scored seven already. If Chiefs continue with schoolboy errors in the defence, they’ll be punished by Celtic’s shooters that are young, quick and sharp.
KOMPHELA’S POINT TO PROVE AND THE GORDINHO SAGA
Chiefs’ current squad has been reinforced to ensure they compete for honours, but in all honesty, Komphela didn’t come close with such depth during his entire stint with the Soweto giants. At Celtic, and with more freedom, he’s turning average players into prominent forces. Due to Chiefs’ leaky defence, something that never stood in Komphela’s tenure, they’ve now recalled defender Lorenzo Gordinho from Celtic earlier than initially arranged. Celtic have stood their ground and said Gordinho is theirs until January 2019. Gordinho, if he plays tonight, will surely try to perform at his best to show that Chiefs made a mistake by releasing him.
PROVES HE’S THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB
Tinkler replaces Dan Malesela at Chippa, who was the first PSL coaching casualty, after only three games of the new season. And there’d be no better way for him to impress trigger-happy chairman Siviwe Mpengesi than grabbing all maximum points against former club SuperSport. Now in his third team in three seasons, Tinkler knows that he has to pull the strings to revive his coaching career but what makes his current job tricky is working under someone who’s impatient and not afraid to sell his best players mid-way through the season.
BRING SUPERSPORT DOWN TO EARTH
SuperSport, are arguably one of the high-flying teams currently in top-flight football after recording successive victories against Amazulu and Bidvest Wits.
And, they are still capable of defending their MTN 8 title after a 2-2 draw against Chiefs in the first leg of the semi-finals. There’d be no person to halt that progress better than Tinkler, after all, he assembled 90% of the team but had to leave as results were not forthcoming in the league. SuperSport’s current coach Keitano Tembo was also his assistant at the time.
CHIPPA OFFERS THE PERFECT PLATFORM TO INSTIL HIS PHILOSOPHY
Tinkler is not afraid to encourage his players to go out there and express themselves. In his previous clubs Orlando Pirates, Cape Town City and SuperSport, he showed that when players play to their strengths, they are likely to produce the best outcomes. In that period, he was victorious in two cup finals (Telkom Knockout and MTN 8) – while also leading Pirates and SuperSport to their maiden Caf Confederation Cup finals. His young squad at the Chilli Boys offers him that depth, but he just has to guide them to go about their business maturely.