Lorenzo out, Lingwati in

STEVE Komphela is ready to begin life without Lorenzo Gordinho who returns to Kaizer Chiefs next month.

Gordinho played his last game for Bloemfontein Celtic on Wednesday as they lost 3-0 at AmaZulu.

Emiliano Tade netted a brace for Usuthu and Siyabonga Nomvethe got the third goal.

Gordinho was sent off in the dying minutes of the game and will miss the next two matches against Highlands Park and Cape Town City. His loan spell expires in January.

Komphela didn’t sound worried about Gordinho’s departure.

“There’s nothing I can do. Chiefs has a right to take him back because Gordinho is their player. Gordinho is leaving and that informed our substitution. Under no circumstances you will get a red card, your defender get sent off and you are chasing the match. All we were doing was to introduce Thato Lingwati. Anyway going forward you are going to need him,” Komphela elaborated.

Amakhosi have been fragile at the back this season but kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win against SuperSport United on Wednesday. New

Chiefs coach, Ernst Middendorp, started with a new back four of Virgil Vries, Kgotso Moleko, Mario Booysen and Daniel Cardoso.

“Introduce Thato Lingwati like that and you are sending a message and saying ‘listen, you have to take the responsibility’. Worse, Gordinho is leaving and you are going to miss him for the next two matches. How many matches will be left? Just one match. Thato would have not had time. So, the fact that he is leaving and you are left with three minutes and you are losing 3-0, rather think forward,” he added.

Komphela has already lost one of his best defenders in Alfred Ndengane who is now on the books of Orlando Pirates.

Asked if he will be given the budget to strengthen his team, Komphela replied: “I don’t live the life of re-assurances. Assurance comes from self-assurance. Do what you can based on what you have. Somebody could promise heaven and earth. They can assure you that you will have this and it doesn’t come. Even at the back of that if you don’t have the capabilities to take something to another level with all the re-assurances (and then it is a problem). I’m focused at the job at hand. I want to try and get the best of what I have.”

The transfer window will open next month.