Komphela tells of derby tactics
Mourinho slams team’s attitude over loss
A TRICKY week in which Kaizer Chiefs beat Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates drew with Platinum Stars provided Amakhosi coach Steve Komphela with some tactical answers‚ he said after the Soweto derby draw on Saturday.
After beating Sundowns 2-1 at FNB Stadium on Tuesday night‚ Komphela‚ who entered the week under pressure from his own fans and battling a string of devastating injuries‚ oversaw a 0-0 draw against Pirates at FNB Stadium.
The pundits might have predicted a far worse outcome for Chiefs‚ and perhaps even for Komphela and after the Pirates game‚ Komphela said‚ half-jokingly: “Three points plus one equals four. And four out of six is a pass mark.”
A clever three-man central defence (Siyabonga Ngezana‚ Daniel Cardoso and Mulomowandau Mathoho) gameplan‚ with Joseph Molangoane and Philani Zulu at wingback‚ showed Komphela’s ability to adapt to his extreme injury situation.
“It was a bit tricky that we played a good week against Sundowns‚ and you’re saying that you’re quite aware of the strengths of Orlando Pirates‚” the coach said after the derby.
“In the matches we have watched they have changed things. Sometimes they play 4-3-3‚ then they play 42-3-1‚ and they are very difficult to predict.
“Even today we got the team sheet and there were already four changes [from Bucs’ 1-1 home draw against bottom-placed Platinum Stars on Wednesday]. And then when you look at the template you wonder‚ ‘Is it as I see it or not?’
“And even with a 4-2-3-1 they never had a No 10. They hid the No 10. They never had wingers. In fact‚ they played a replica of a game we prefer [to utilise].
“Their wingbacks were on top‚ and then their wingers were inside overloading the midfield.
“Maybe they knew that there was a possibility that we would not change what was not broken. Because the result and the performance that we got in Pretoria‚ and also facing the [injury] challenges that we are going through‚ I thought it was only logical.
“As for my lessons from this week‚ it’s OK. We would have loved to have had three points [against Pirates]. It was a hectic week.
“But what you pick up is that maybe in the three-man defence‚ what are the weaknesses and strengths in comparison [from the Pirates game] with [what we saw against] Sundowns?
“You have to analyse the two. There are quite a number of things that I thought that we did well against Sundowns.
“And those are things you look at in terms of players and tactical variation – do they adjust quickly‚ do they understand?
“Because if you saw in today’s match we had Willard Katsande behind George Maluleka and Pule Ekstein in midfield. And we changed the triangle to Maluleka and Katsande behind Pule.
“Matches of this nature could be won on set plays. I thought we could have‚ if we had been a bit more concentrated.”
Chiefs next meet AmaZulu in the Telkom Knockout last-16 at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday. JOSE Mourinho launched a withering verbal attack on his Manchester United players following their surprise Premier League defeat at Huddersfield Town and confessed he was shocked by their lacklustre performance.
United were beaten for the first time this season, while promoted Huddersfield’s 2-1 win marked their first top-flight victory over their illustrious visitors since 1952.
Huddersfield’s goals, scored by Aaron Mooy and Laurent Depoitre, were a direct result of disastrous mistakes by United’s Juan Mata and Victor Lindelof.
“In the first half I was waiting for it,” said Mourinho, whose side replied through substitute Marcus Rashford.
“It was Mata and Victor, but it could have been another because the attitude was really poor.
“When I lose matches, I like to lose because the opponent was better, had more quality. When you lose because of attitude, that is really bad.
“I heard Ander Herrera in an interview saying the attitude and desire was poor. Oh my God.
“When a player says that and a player feels that, I think they should then all go to the press conference and explain why, because I cannot explain that.”
Mourinho’s team had only conceded two league goals, in a 2-2 draw at Stoke City in early September, before Saturday’s visit to the John Smith’s Stadium.
But the United manager was more concerned by the fact it was the first time in his 15 months in charge that he had detected such a poor attitude.
“I don’t even remember a friendly match where our attitude was so poor,” he said.
“Of course it concerns me, yes, because if it happened today, why can’t it happen tomorrow? It was a surprise, but it is reality. For me it is quite easy and simple to say the team that deserved to win won.
“They played like I like. They played with everything they have, like I like and like it has to be. They played with everything: aggression, desire, motivation, sacrifice.”
United visit Swansea City in the League Cup on Wednesday before hosting Tottenham Hotspur and visiting Chelsea in their next two Premier League games.
Having seen their 12-game unbeaten run come to an end, Mourinho said he did not know how his team would react.
“I don’t like to anticipate the reactions because I don’t know how to say in this moment,” he said.
“We come here to play a Premier League match, to play for three points.
“I feel really disappointed and if I was a Manchester United supporter – not a manager, but a traditional supporter –
Huddersfield manager David Wagner, who lifted the club back into the top flight for the first time in nearly half a century, ranked the victory among his “top three” days in charge.
“I live in Huddersfield, so I know a little bit – maybe not 100% – how huge this result is,” said the bespectacled German.
“For the town, for the Huddersfield Town supporters, for the chairman, for the board, for everybody who supports the football club.
“I am totally aware that this is a very special moment and a huge result.
“Little Huddersfield Town, in the Premier League for the first time, in the top flight for the first time in 45 years, has now beaten Man United.
“I’m aware of it, happy and proud about it, but like always, we will stay humble,” Wagner said. — AFP
Iwould be really disappointed.”