CAPE TOWN – Muhsin Ertugral and his Ajax Cape Town squad are hard at work in preparation for the last three PSL games of the season.
Considering their precarious log position, there’s no doubt the Cape club’s top-flight status hinges on how things go over the next few weeks.
Ajax’s last three fixtures are Baroka (home), Mamelodi Sundowns (away) and Kaizer Chiefs (home) – and, as things stand, bottom-placed Platinum Stars are on 21 points, followed by Ajax on 28, SuperSport United 29, Polokwane City 30 and Golden Arrows on 31 points.
Speaking after a training session in Parow on Thursday, Ertugral revealed his thoughts on next week’s clash against Baroka.
“I don’t look at the current form of the opposition,” he said. “It’s all about what the opponent has – what are the details of the team, what are their organisational forms, what is the tactical aspect of the team, and how do they operate as a team and as individuals. These are the elements I will look at in preparation for the game.”
As for Ajax, Ertugral believes it all depends on how the players handle the pressure in the remaining games of the season.
“Can we be calm?” he asked. “When pressure comes in, we all make decisions even we cannot understand. Whether the team has learnt to handle the pressure yet, I cannot say, but they have played good football over the last few weeks.
We are clear about what our limits are, we just have to see where we can improve on those limits – and we have to try to improve on our strengths as well.”