Cape Town City and Ajax Cape Town have time to work through their glaring shortcomings as the PSL heads into a two-and-a-half week hiatus.
This weekend, the focus is on the MTN8 final between Mamelodi Sundowns and Wits and, after that, it’s the international break. The PSL will resume on October 15, with City home to Baroka FC, with Ajax away to Kaizer Chiefs.
There’s a great deal for the two Cape clubs to focus on during the break. Despite a good start to the season, City coach Eric Tinkler has been vocal about his team’s deficiencies while Ajax, who have yet to win a game, are in serious need of an injection of confidence.
City played out a 1-1 draw with Highlands Park on Tuesday, with Tinkler voicing concerns about his team’s inconsistency.
Two weeks ago, they ran Orlando Pirates ragged in a goalless draw and, last week, they saw off Ajax 1-0 in the inaugural Cape derby between the two clubs.
The complete opposite was on display against Highlands, as they looked disjointed, especially in the opening 45 minutes. It needed a tactical shift from Tinkler to alter the course of the game.
After a fantastic goal from captain Lebogang Manyama, it looked like City would steal the three points, only for them to lose concentration and allow Collins Mbesuma to score and snatch a point for Highlands.
Needless to say, Tinkler wasn’t happy. “To be honest, I thought we were very poor in the first half, he said. “We struggled, and we allowed Highlands to play the way they wanted to in the first half, which was extremely disappointing.
“We were a bit better in the second half. But then we got the goal, a great goal, and we let ourselves down by allowing Highlands to come right back with an equaliser. There is a lot to work on. We cannot produce a good performance against Ajax and, then, three days later, we look different.
“Truthfully, at halftime, I said to the players we looked very amateurish. We cannot go away from home and not perform, it’s something we obviously have to change, we can’t allow it to continue.”
Over at Ajax, there may not yet be cause for panic, but there’s already a sense of unease at the club. A section of the club’s supporters have made their unhappiness known, and the pressure is definitely on.
To be fair, Ajax have been desperately unlucky. In their four games to date - two draws and two defeats - they could probably have won all four.
But, as they say in football, a team makes its own luck - if Ajax are to start winning again, then it’s a case of just being more clinical in the opposition penalty area. They create scoring opportunities by the bucket-load, but the finishing leaves a lot to be desired.
Ajax coach Roger de Sa has been scathing of the fragile mentality of some of his players. “Some of our players have it, some don’t,” he said after the defeat to City last Friday.
“It is in these situations where you can see who has a heart the size of a peanut and who has a proper heart.
“But we do have a two-and-a-half week break now, before our next match. Hopefully, we can rectify a few things.”
The latest on Rivaldo Coetzee, who was injured in the derby, is that he has a hamstring tear. Ajax are waiting to hear whether Coetzee will be withdrawn from the Bafana Bafana squad, or whether he will still have to Johannesburg for Bafana’s medical staff to make its own assessment.
The Star