DOWNS ON EDGE
Problem is, we don t score Neeskens
MAMELODI Sundowns coach Johan Neeskens has adopted a pragmatic approach as season-defining moments loom for the league championship hopefuls.
Any more slip-ups will have dire consequences for a campaign that suddenly looks shaky after a promising start early in the season for the Brazilians.
“I’ve never said we are going to be league champions, but always said we are one of the contenders and hopefully we can win it,” Neeskens says.
“Everybody expects us to win. I expect that too, because I’m a winner. If I didn’t believe we could win it, I’d quit… and I’m not a quitter.
“If you want to be a good contender, you need very good results. We are giving it our all in every game. If I count the chances we ’ ve missed this season, I bet we would be champions by now.”
The wheels, however, appear to be coming off at the critical stage of the season.
A win is non-negotiable for the Tshwane giants when they come up against a desperate Santos in one of the only two PSL fixtures today, at the Lucas Moripe Stadium.
Successive losses to Platinum Stars and Maritzburg United have raised pertinent questions about the team’s character.
Could the Brazilians be facing a collapse in the face of mounting expectations?
Do they possess the vigour and grit needed to win the league title race and also bag the Nedbank Cup?
“The problem is simple, we don’t score!” Neeskens declares.
“That ’ s the only difference. Look at the goals we scored before the break and count the goals we missed this year. We would be champions by now, had we converted them.
“You saw Barcelona in the Champions League the other night, they were better, but could not get results.
“They missed the penalty, hit the crossbar, just like we missed such chances against Stars and United. I don’t blame specific players for the lack of goals, it’s the whole team.
“We are creating chances but we are losing – scoring is a general problem of South African football,” he says.
Neeskens slams talk that his team is imploding under pressure, reasoning such upsets are part of football.
“It makes the league more interesting,” he says, and adds: “As I said before, I think the league is going to be decided on the last day. ” Quicksilver winger Elias Pelembe is also optimistic Sundowns will win what increasingly looks like a league cliffhanger.
Moroka Swallows host Golden Arrows at Dobsonville Stadium, looking to maintain their place in the PSL race.
With a bit of consistency in the last four games, the Birds would be top of the log by now, just as Arrows have picked themselves up from the relegation danger.