Cape Town City coach Jan Olde Riekerink said after his team’s 1-0 Absa Premiership defeat to Chippa United that the first half was the 45 minuted his charges had played since he took over the job from Benni McCarthy last month.
But he did say they never created chances during it and tried too hard to score a goal in the second half.
“It became a little bit more at the end like the wild west but there’s also a way to score goals. I think the way we are playing is improving although we don’t create chances,” Riekerink said.
“Now is the time before the next and last game of the year away to Wits in two weeks’ time to train what we didn’t do good. But not only the bad things, like I said we played well in the first 45 minutes.”
The Citizens passed the ball around with aplomb but lacked penetration going forward.
Playing wing Riyaad Norodien alongside youngster Shane Roberts, who had a game to forget, as the two target men didn't deliver the desired result.
Norodien was substituted at the start of the second half along with another attacker, Bradley Ralani, and on came Chris David and Fagrie Lakay to add more thrust, but there was still no joy, although shots were fired in, most from outside the penalty area.
The team seem to have lost their mojo since McCarthy’s departure.
Dutch coach Olde Riekerink was brought in by club chairman John Comitis to turn around a run of disappointing results and five games later little has changed.
City did win the first league game after McCarthy left, which was handled by his assistant Vasili Manousakis. Then in stepped Olde Riekerink and he’s registered two points from a possible 12.
He was the one calling the shots from the stands in the 2-1 away loss to Black Leopards, and then from the dugout drew his next two without a goal being scored by the then top scorers in the competition.
And now the latest effort against coastal rivals having never won this fixture in the Mother City.
The players are a proud lot but are hurting big time for one reason or another. They look lost and confused trying to adapt to life under their new boss.
One thing’s for sure, City aren’t performing. The team that used to play attacking football with a smile on the dial, one that could beat the biggest teams in the division when in full cry, now play without passion, fight or bite.
A look at the log standings sums up the Citizens’ plight. For a team who have been in the top five for the previous three seasons to be now sitting 13th out of 16 sides makes no sense at all, especially with a stronger squad assembled.