DURBAN – Amazulu have got their man in the form of Jozef Vukusic who was officially unveiled as the head coach for the Durban side yesterday. And the former Polokwane City mentor boldly promised to be the new “messiah” for the club that hasn’t tasted a win in the five league matches they’ve played this season.
Usuthu are languishing at the bottom of the table and they have moved quickly to replace Cavin Johnson, who was fired on Monday. The Slovakian is expected to hit the ground running after he was handed a three-year contract last night.
“I can’t change the fact that the club is at the bottom of the table but I’m very positive. I’ve been in this situation before in Slovakia where I’ve saved a team from relegation. Our target is to climb the log and we can only achieve that by winning our games.
I hope that we can do it soon and then we can set ourselves another target,” Vukusic said at Moses Mabhida Stadium.
AmaZulu have suffered three defeats and shared the spoils in their other two outings and this is the negative outlook that Vukusic has been mandated to turn around.
“Pressure is everywhere. Obviously, there will be always pressure for results. AmaZulu are a big club and that alone is pressure on everyone involved. Hopefully, the pressure we find ourselves in, will help us (focus) and turn our fortunes around,” he added.
Michael Morton of AmaZulu FC during the Absa Premiership 2019/20 football match between Golden Arrows and Amazulu at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium. Photo: Gerhard Duraan/BackpagePix
Vukusic is facing baptism of fire in his first few games. First he has an unenviable task of dealing with Kaizer Chiefs on debut, then there’s in-form SuperSport United, followed by a solid Cape Town City. These games will test his mental strength and tactics against high impact teams at a time when he is still assessing his team’s strengths and weaknesses.
“It is not easy to point out the areas where we need to improve. I know the team from the outside as I’ve seen them from video clips. But what is important is the mentality and character. AmaZulu have a good team.
When I arrived at Polokwane City I found that they lacked character and mental strength and I instilled that. We ended up finishing the season with success,” Vukusic explained.
Vukusic’s first assignment against the log leaders, Amakhosi, is on Tuesday at King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi - a ground that Usuthu has used well against visiting teams.