Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Komphela does his homework on Aces
IN typical Steve Komphela fashion, Mpumalanga Black Aces have been profiled to the tee.
The Kaizer Chiefs coach can rattle down the names of the Aces players, starting from the goalkeeper through to the defence, midfielders all the way to the strikers. He knows which player came on for which at what time of a particular match.
The fact that Muhsin Ertugral’s team have a penchant for patiently waiting on the opposition before they pounce on the break is common knowledge to the coach of Amakhosi.
But will it be enough to see the Glamour Boys overcome Amazayoni in today’s Telkom Knockout semi-final tie at the Mbombela Stadium?
Many will answer not necessarily – for if thorough knowledge of the opposition guaranteed success, Komphela would probably be the country’s most successful coach.
He is yet to win a trophy as a club coach, though, and already this season he has suffered defeat in a cup final – Chiefs lost to Ajax Cape Town in an MTN8 showdown that was preceded by Komphela dishing out a thesis on the Urban Warriors.
That defeat, and the fact that Chiefs have found it hard to win matches in the league since then, hasn’t stopped the eloquent tactician from remaining hopeful.
“I’m really optimistic; if we can only keep believing and keep working, then these draws will be converted into wins,” he said. “Somebody would say we have not lost, but that is not our line of reasoning because this team is all about winning.”
While many will expect them to do so, such has been Aces’ recent form that Chiefs will need to play the kind of football they did early in the season to reign supreme.
Besides, Amazayoni are coached by a man from whom Komphela not only learnt some of the managerial tricks of the game having assisted Ertugral at Chiefs, but also one who is renowned for his speciality in winning knockout competitions.
It makes for a fascinating clash, Aces being among the league’s early pace-setters, and their incredible comeback in their midweek clash against Platinum Stars that saw them score two goals in injury-time to force a 2-2 draw no doubt will see them go into this one on a high of sorts.
Komphela was yet to see the video of that match, but you can bet he would have done that by the time he walks onto the field for this evening’s 6pm kickoff to add to what he has already studied of Aces.
“I’ve not seen that match yet,” Komphela said of Aces’ 2-2 draw “But the rest of their matches, I’ve seen their trend was clear. Against (Orlando) Pirates they had started with ( Bongolethu) Jayiya and (Thanduyise) Khuboni in the middle before he ( Ertugral) introduced Mpho Matsi and that was their evolution.”
The Chiefs coach then proceeded to mention how the likes of Lehlohonolo Tukane generally play, and also mentioned the threat posed by the rejuvenated veteran striker Collins Mbesuma, as well as striker Dennis Masina.
“So you can be clear what they have been doing. It gives us a message that they love to hold and sit and if you open they hit, they are very quick. So the profile is there and on the back of that we have to start thinking how we counter that,” “Professor” Komphela concluded his Aces lecture.
The big question is whether his players will be able to understand it, as well as the game plan he puts in place to set Komphela en route to turning his mastery of the opposition into tangible success – a trophy.
First, though, they must progress past the quarter-final stage against an Aces side that is an open book to their coach.