Coach: no magic wand
UNDER SCRUTINY: SOLINAS HAS TWO QUIET WEEKS TO GET THINGS RIGHT
Not reaching the MTN8 final could generously be described as a twoway sword for coach Giovanni Solinas. The failure means he gets to build his own team and whatever they achieve later on can be credited to him, and not on the groundwork many believe former coach Steve Komphela had done on the team before his resignation.
But reaching the final and winning it would have boosted Solinas’ clout and bought him time to implement his plan without too much scrutiny.
But it has not happened and Solinas will now have to face reality and continue working under the microscope. His tactics have been heavily debated in the past few weeks and some have even predicted that the end of his era is near. But he remains defiant that he can turn the struggling team that Amakhosi have become in the past three years into a mean machine that fires on all cylinders.
“I don’t have a magic stick (wand),” he said honestly after the 1-0 defeat to SuperSport United that meant their MTN8 journey ended at the FNB on Saturday night. “We need to work hard. We need the time.”
At least he understands that turning Amakhosi into the glamour side they once were will take some time and he will be looking to use the international break to his advantage. Chiefs have won just one and lost two in eight matches under the Italian coach’s guidance and the fans are becoming more worried with each bad result.
Their Absa Premiership campaign has not got off to the start they would have anticipated with a defeat and four draws in five matches which leaves them 13th in the standings with four points.
“I understand the situation with our fans. They are not happy. I am also not happy, but we need to move on. I am sure that with time this team will improve and get results.
“You have not seen the best of Kaizer Chiefs yet. We will use the break to increase on fitness. Players like Lebo Manyama will get to the required level of fitness. I believe in my players and we will get the results,” he said.
Solinas may not have a magic wand but at least he has two weeks to work his magic on his players as their next match is on September 15 against the in-form Cape Town City at FNB Stadium.