Chippa United head coach Kwanele Kopo has clarified his decision to substitute veteran midfielder Andile Jali at half-time during their clash against Orlando Pirates.
The Chilli Boys left it all on the field when they visited Pirates at Orlando Stadium for their Betway Premiership opener. They showed that they meant business when they registered first on the score sheet in the 22nd minute, thanks to Andile Jali’s outstanding strike from outside the box.
Unfortunately, Jali was replaced by Xolani Sithole at the start of the second half after complaining about his hamstring as revealed by coach Kopo.
“In central midfield, we had Andile Jali, but we lost him just before half-time, hamstring,” Kopo said after the game. Andile complained of his hamstring, and we just asked him to hold on until half-time, Kopo said.
Despite their valiant efforts, Pirates were victorious collecting all three points as Tshegofatso Mabasa converted a penalty during the stroke of half-time and Monnapule Saleng scored a late header in extra time to secure the Bucanneer’s first win of the campaign.
“His substitution really gave us a tactical challenge because we had to drop Aya [Ayabulela Konqobe] in central midfield, and then we brought in an out-an-out winger, and we struggled with the build-up because we could not create the block that we wanted in midfield because it needed now to come from either Sirgio Kammies or [Malebogo]Modise but none of them really went in there so in the second-half we lost that continuity in terms of our possession play,” he added.
Jali showed class in this match bossing the midfield and creating chances for the Eastern Cape side. His substitution dealt Chippa a major blow as they lost control of the game in the second half and they found themselves chasing after the ball for the majority of the game.
“In the second half, the moment we lost Andile, we lost the shape, and Pirates came at us more, and we felt that the substitutions that we made, we were hoping that they would lift the speed of attack, the pressing, but it did not happen that way.
Kopo praised the 34-year-old midfielder’s work since joining the club adding that he has been working hard in the gym trying to get back in shape. He admitted that Jali is not yet 100% fit, but his leadership skills and experience in the field were needed to guide the youngsters and boost their confidence, as facing Pirates is not an easy act.
“You can see, it’s been massive for the club since he joined us, Andile has trained very hard after a couple of months of no activity at all having left Swallows in November. When we started preseason he’s been in the training an hour before everybody.
“He is not 100 per cent fit yet, but because of the challenges we have in central midfield, we felt that even if he gave us 60 minutes. We were hoping that he could give us 60 minutes of leadership, and we knew with him, we would be able to be on the ball more… We needed an Andile to guide our build-up and give these youngsters confidence,” concluded Kopo.
Chippa will host Richards Bay FC on Saturday 21 September in a bid to bounce back to winning ways. This should be an interesting fixture, both sides struggled last season but are showing signs of life this time around. Richards Bay won their opening encounter against TS Galaxy and will be aiming to avoid a loss at all costs.
Written by Siphesihle Soni