JOHANNESBURG – Even with the arrival of Leonardo Castro, the presence of veteran striker Bernard Parker, whose best days might be behind him and the young energetic Dumisani Zuma in the frame, Steve Komphela has suggested Ryan Moon could be the best option to lead the line for Kaizer Chiefs at the moment.
And Moon although he frequently drifts in and out of the game, has delivered - scoring three goals in his last four games, the latest coming against reigning PSL champions Wits in a 1-1 draw on Saturday.
“Top strikers do that,” said Komphela when it was put to him that Moon seems to play in patches, but scores crucial goals.
“When you are in a game, you have to be seen when you are just about to strike. You should not be seen when you are preparing. So that should be the sense of striking - you will always see him when he strikes. You will not see a snake when it’s searching and looking for its target. But as soon as it comes out, you see it when it matters most. It’s good that he is seen and not seen because if he is seen then they can monitor him.”
All of Moon’s goals have come from headers and have been assisted by Siphiwe Tshabalala, who plays just behind the strikers in how Komphela sets up his side.
“He is a natural goal scorer,” the coach said. “He has a knack for goals. I think strikers are like leaders, they are born rather than made. Ryan is that.”
The idea that Moon would be Chiefs’ best forward has come as a surprise following the arrival of Castro in January. The Colombian has yet to start a game, coming off the bench in all three appearances he has made since arriving from Mamelodi Sundowns.
He scored on debut three weeks ago.
“You are always tempted to start with Castro, but if we start him would we have to leave Moon outside? He scored. It depends on the game itself. His contribution is clear when he is introduced. They (Castro and Siphelele Ntshangase, another January arrival) can even play four more minutes compared to when they joined us. Their fitness is improving,” Komphela said.
Moon’s goal, however, was not enough to help Chiefs close the gap on log leaders Sundowns, who are now seven points clear of the Glamour Boys in the title race. Amakhosi were also held to a goalless draw by Sundowns a week earlier at home.
“Any match drawn at Chiefs is a loss,” said Komphela. “We want to win almost all the matches because we are fighting for the championship here. I feel like we lost three points. This is at a time when every point is crucial. Could we have got all three here? Yes. I don’t want to exaggerate because it’s only two matches. We should have won.”
The coach said he was desperate to cut Sundowns’ lead at the top to avoid having a mammoth task of trying to catch up.
“We wanted to keep it at five points,” Komphela said.
Meanwhile, Njabulo Ngidi reports that Orlando Pirates’ coach Milutin “Micho” Sredojevic wants to add two things to the Buccaneers badge he constantly touches in his interviews to drive his point across.
Sredojevic announced that he would like to win two Caf Champions League titles with the first South African club to conquer the continent in 1995 on Saturday.
“We have our game model and vision,” Sredojevic said.
“We are pushing towards that vision. We have the highest possible ambition on the local level, in all the Cups. We have the highest possible ambition in the Caf inter-club competitions. We want to be remembered for something because when you are here, you have to leave a legacy so that people can remember what you did in your time.
“Our final dream is to put at least two stars on this badge (by winning two Champions League titles).”