Hot Chilli Boys must ‘Dance’ to new tune
CHIPPA United coach Dan “Dance” Malesela says he was happy with his team’s winning start to the season but maintains there is still work to be done within the squad.
The Port Elizabeth-based side had a superb start to the season after beating Free State Stars 2-1 in a Premier Soccer League opener at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Tuesday night.
It was Rhulani Manzini’s two goals that ensured the Chilli Boys earned the three points at home.
Despite not being fully satisfied with his troop’s performance on the night, Malesela said there were many positives to take from the game.
“I think for me it’s more of a 50-50 thing, in the sense that there were moments where we had a lot of errors and there were moments that we were very good.
“But I am saying this with understanding that it’s the first game of the season. Everybody at the beginning looks like a good team that can challenge for something, particularly when you come from off-season where people were training and running.”
The former Orlando Pirates skipper said knowing they have another key encounter on Saturday could have also added pressure on the players. The Chilli Boys play Platinum Stars in an MTN8 quarterfinal at Royal Bafokeng Stadium (kick-off 3pm).
“We have quite a number of players who have been with the PSL before or have been with the PSL and are just coming back again,” said Malesela.
“You have Marc van Heerden and Tshwarelo Bereng . . . it’s pressure. Strydom Wambi has been with Jomo Cosmos a long time ago.
“To be honest, we actually had two players with upset stomachs at halftime. One player left the field and it was not because of the food that we had, because we all had what they had. It’s more of an anxiety that was causing all of this.
“Then from that you can see the result and say the result is good.”
Malesela felt the result was justified as his side had dominated.
Ahead of the match, the coach spoke openly about his strike-force not being up to standard.
Asked if he had seen some improvement during the match, Malesela said: “It is still not up to scratch. Besides the fact that Rhulani scored the two goals, it doesn’t say that we are getting things right.”
Not wanting to go too deep into his plans for the MTN8 fixture against Dikwena, Malesela said he had a game plan in mind. But he was adamant that the changes would be visible.