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Rotation has Solinas in a spin
GIOVANNI SOLINAS clearly does not believe in the rotation principle that has worked so well for the club he hopes to usurp as South African champions.
The new Kaizer Chiefs coach, yet to win an Absa Premiership game after three matches, has lamented his club’s hectic schedule, describing it as being made for “robots, not for human beings”.
However, while he admitted to having a big enough squad, the Italian coach spoke against using players alternately in order to keep them fresh for a campaign that will often see them playing three games a week.
The Amakhosi technical head clearly has not been following the ways of his Mamelodi Sundowns counterpart Pitso Mosimane, who has managed to keep the club successful in spite of a schedule that has seen them having very little rest between matches in the last three seasons or so.
Mosimane’s ability to manage his squad, giving certain players rest at some stages of the season, has ensured that the fatigue aspect had very little impact on Sundowns’ campaigns either locally or on the continent.
Solinas, though, is clearly against rotation.
“Yes, we have a (big) squad but the problem is you can’t change too many players because if you do, you lose the confidence, you lose the shape. You can’t change too much,” he explained.
That could well be, but why then complain about a hectic schedule a mere three matches into the season when the schedule is set to become even more chaotic later with the introduction of continental football.
Following his team’s 1-1 draw with Baroka FC here on Tuesday night, the Italian coach lamented the lack of enough rest between their matches, Amakhosi having played on Saturday, then on Tuesday and now scheduled to play again tomorrow, away to Maritzburg United (8pm kick-off).
“My players played on Saturday, then we travelled (to Polokwane). No time for recover(y); no time for training. So in the end of the game, we feel a little bit fatigued,” he said.
“It is not easy playing every two days and travelling.”