It can’t be easy testing your wits against the same opponent a few weeks following a corresponding fixture, and Kaizer Chiefs coach Steve Komphela - ahead of the Glamour Boys hosting Maritzburg United for the second time in nearly a month - said he was no different.
Amakhosi host Maritzburg in the opening round of the Telkom Knockout at FNB Stadium, the same venue where they controversially beat coach Ernst Middendorp’s side 2-0 in an Absa Premiership clash to register what was then their second successive victory. Chiefs have gone on to win two more matches and are currently at the summit of the Premier League table and the pressure has eased on Komphela, who endured a tough start to the season.
The Chiefs coach on Tuesday discussed the winning feeling, the need to win a silverware and how to avoid being sucker punched by a Maritzburg team that he guided to their first ever top eight finish two season ago and one that has often run Amakhosi close.
Three main talking points stuck out when Komphela addressed the media earlier in the week:
Trophy drought
Komphela knows there can’t be a repeat of the previous season, where Chiefs not only surrendered the championship to Mamelodi Sundowns, but also failed to clinch any silverware in the coach’s maiden year.
“Without putting pressure on ourselves, we know it’s all or nothing. For the club, knockout competitions are always a must-win because we know we have come close (reaching the MTN8 final last season), but didn’t get anything,” Komphela said. He is well aware of the fact that a defeat against Maritzburg would undo all his hard work.
Consistency
School was in session when Komphela took to the podium at press conferences at the beginning of the season. During those first few lectures, the former Bafana Bafana skipper was faced with the daunting task of having to explain why he was the right man for the job on the back of yet another unflattering display by Chiefs.
Lately, there has been a shift in his lessons, the coach waxing lyrical about the state of football in the country, the books he is currently reading in his spare time and the need to keep fighting to improve in their title quest.
All of that in typical Komphela fashion - using the kind of words that need an Oxford dictionary if you are to keep up with the former schoolteacher. “We have to use the same speed because if you drive fast you will crash. You know that if you are taking it slowly on the road, you come across a breeze, and speeding means a storm. We need to strike a balance, but there will always be a test in every game we play,” he explained.
He said the Chiefs players are learning to use criticism to be better and not bitter.
Ernst Middendorp
The two coaches are no bosom buddies - there is very little mutual respect. Komphela, however, acknowledged that Middendorp might come up with a plan to derail Chiefs in their attempt to reach the Telkom Knockout final in December. They have now met twice with the German in charge and Maritzburg have on both occasions finished second best. There is an air of vengeance, especially considering the frosty relationship between the two coaches.
Follow Mazola Molefe on Twitter@superjourno
The Star