Komphela defends his players and says he’s willing to accept responsibility for Chiefs’ failures
Njabulo Ngidi | 2017-05-01 13:51:57.0
Steve Komphela speaks to the players during the Absa Premiership match between SuperSport United and Kaizer Chiefs at Mbombela Stadium on April 29, 2017 in Nelspruit, South Africa.
Image by: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
After another lapse in concentration in the final moments of a match‚ costing Kaizer Chiefs’ valuable points‚ coach Steve Komphela refused to blame the players but instead argued he should take responsibility for the club’s shortcomings.
Chiefs’ 2-2 draw with SuperSport United at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday felt like a loss after the club conceded in the final minute of a match they looked destined to win.
It was similar to how they lost 3-2 to Cape Town City‚ conceding late in the match to lose ground on the Absa Premiership race.
The draw with Matsatsantsa a Pitori effectively ruled out Chiefs and SuperSport in the fight for the championship.
“I must take the responsibility to be honest‚” Komphela said.
“Without shielding anybody‚ who else can you blame? They gave it their best. The energy was there and they got into scoring opportunities.
“Maybe one thing that we can improve‚ we need to concentrate more and not give away easy goals. Maybe we need to work on our concentration at the back. Command better and be more compact.
“We shouldn’t allow these lone wolfs (to hurt us). You go back to (Mxolisi) Kunene’s goal (in the 2-2 draw with Baroka.
“The guy took a ball in the midfield‚ he ran and ran‚ took a shot‚ it deflected off (Daniel) Cardoso and went in. Look at the Cape Town City match‚ the (Aubrey) Ngoma goal is the same.
“Even the (Aubrey) Modiba one (against SuperSport) is the same. Do you blame anyone? I have to be honest‚ I can’t blame anyone. We have to concentrate more.”
The draw with SuperSport means that Chiefs have won just one game in their clashes with the other four teams who are vying for the championship.
It’s a sad indictment on the club’s title credentials‚ lacking the mental strength that a league winner needs.
But Komphela argued that it’s not that black and white.
The coach said that they weren’t outplayed in these matches but let it slip by not taking their chances and conceding late.
That explanation exposes why Chiefs don’t deserve the league rather than defend the club.
Ultimately Komphela will be judged on the result‚ not how they played and how long the club was in the match.
“We are all in the radar of judgement‚” Komphela said.
“You can’t fault the people for judging you because points of references are there. But there are certain things that you look at‚ that inasmuch as that‚ but this.
“Accept it. Take it. You don’t have a choice. Is there anything different based on their judgement? No. Is there anything you can do? Yes.”
– TMG Digital/TMG Sport