Ertugral: I plan to turn things around
NEW Ajax coach Muhsin Ertugral says his charges are far better than their current form suggests.
Ertugral, back for a fourth stint in place of sacked Dutchman Stanley Menzo, said: “Yes, they’ve only managed one win from their last six starts, but that for me is a mere statistic.
“What I’ve seen from the five training sessions is a talented group of players who are keen to show their true colours,” he said after a mid-morning training session.
Ajax are to spend January at home, with their next six PSL matches all at the Cape Town Stadium.
The Urban Warriors, who are second from bottom on the log, start off by entertaining ninth-placed Maritzburg United tomorrow (kickoff 8pm). Both sides battled for wins in the first half of the season with Ajax managing just three from 14 encounters and their KwaZulu-Natal opponents four from 15.
Then again, Kaizer Chiefs in third place behind Cape Town City and frontrunners Mamelodi Sundowns have notched only five victories, a sign that winning is hard to come by due to the defensive capabilities of the 16 competing teams in the top-tier of South African football.
Ertugral said: “I’m not going to dwell on what’s gone before and what approach was used, for me it’s about playing an attacking style and at the same time being solid at the back. Soccer is like a chess game; you start out laying a solid foundation in defence and then only do you start looking for openings and any signs of weaknesses from the other side.
“I’ve studied Maritzburg’s way of playing and have a plan to deal with whatever threats come our way.
“Not to say it’s going to be a walk in the park for us, you look at how few goals we’ve scored (10) and you understand how weak we’ve been in the final third.
“So a mind-set change for sure and the fans will see us being far more intelligent and as a result more clinical up front. But it does take time to rebuild a team and that’s one of the challenges I’ve got to deal with.
“The players’ self-confidence levels have been on the slide for too long ... I plan to turn things around.
“I see eagerness and passion as well as a burning desire from them all. They do want to start making a charge up the ladder by going on a winning run that I believe they are capable of, much like last season when, while also at the wrong end of the table, they went on a run that moved them well away from the drop zone.
“It comes down to belief above anything else.”
Ajax have strengthened their squad during the January transfer window signing Zimbabwe internationals Tendai Ndoro (ex-Orlando Pirates striker) and Gerald Takawara as well as 22-year-old Highlands Park attacker Muzi Thabotha.
A fourth signing is imminent, with the target being 20-year-old Fagrie Lakay on a loan deal with SuperSport United. He is the youngest player to play for Bafana Bafana.