Cape Town City FC assistant coach Lebogang Manyama has highlighted three factors he believes are hurting the club in the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
CT City are second from the bottom in the 16-team league with three points from six matches. They drew against Venda FC, Hungry Lions FC and Kruger United while losing to Casric Stars, Milford FC and Leicesterford City FC. On Saturday, they face Midlands Wanderers at Harry Gwala Stadium. Kickoff is set for 15:30.
The Mother City outfit began life in the Motsepe Foundation Championship after a massive restructuring that saw them part ways with several high-profile players, among them Fortune Makaringe, Haashim Domingo, Kamohelo Mokotjo and Thabo Nodada.
Six games into the second-tier competition, CT City has yet to click into the right gear. And assistant coach, Manyama, is the first to admit his team is yet to fully adapt to the fast and gritty Motsepe Foundation Championship.
THE THREE FACTORS HURTING CAPE TOWN CITY
In an interview with FARPost, Manyama acknowledged that football is different and fast in the second-tier league, but insisted that their rough patch is near the end. The former midfielder added that failure to convert their chances and lack of adaptation have weighed them down.
“The football is a bit different, obviously. I think, compared to the Betway Premiership, not far off, but teams in this league fight a bit more, they run a bit more. It makes a lot of sense, you know, because it’s obviously the second division and everybody wants to go up,” Manyama told FARPost.
“So everybody is just fighting. We’ve not started the way we wanted or the way people expected us to start. But I never thought it was going to be that easy, because I’ve seen some of these teams play.
“Everybody has a certain perspective about the league that you must fight, that you must do that. So obviously, looking at our results, people will think, maybe they’re not ready for the fight. It’s a pity that you don’t see the games live.”
Manyama added: “We started a process that we knew, just restructuring the whole new team. We probably have the most Under-23s because there’s also a room in that league, remember.”
The former Kaizer Chiefs star added that they have been dominating in their matches, but the failure to convert chances has been their Achilles heel.
“And we’re going to play in these tough conditions. It’s going to take time, I’m not saying it’s going to take long, but these guys need to adapt, get used to it. If only we had scored the chances that we missed, I think we would have been telling a different story.
“We played better than most of the teams that we played against. The only game that I think we struggled against was Milford FC away from home. So we are trying to do it in our own way, but also try to be a bit more direct to make sure we finish the chances we have to score. It’s a process. It’s only been six games. And if you go look at the log from last season, you will realise that all is not lost yet.”
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