Dan Malesela wants big improvement from Chippa against Orlando Pirates

08 August 2018 - 15:48 By Marc Strydom
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Dan Malesela, Head coach, during the Chippa United press conference at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on August 02, 2018 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Dan Malesela, Head coach, during the Chippa United press conference at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on August 02, 2018 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Image: Richard Huggard/Gallo Images

Chippa United coach Dan Malesela has said he wants a big improvement from his player’s from a season-opening defeat against Bloemfontein Celtic when they host Orlando Pirates at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Wednesday night.

Malesela said he was disappointed at what he said was one of Chippa’s worst performances under him as they started the 2018-19 Absa Premiership season with a 2-0 defeat away against Celtic at Dr Molemela Stadium on Sunday.

Chippa’s coach said his players had met among themselves voluntarily to discuss their poor performance. Malesela said the Chili Boys will need to improve significantly against a Pirates still seeking their first win of the season after starting with a 1-1 draw against Highlands Park at Orlando Stadium on Saturday night.

“It’s a very tough game against Pirates. And most of all for us‚ because we didn’t have a good game [against Celtic]‚” Malesela‚ the 1980s Pirates captain‚ said.

“It’s the first time since I’ve started coaching in the PSL that my team played that badly. You know‚ we might lose a match but not with a bad performance. But out performance was bad.

“It’s probably a combination of things. Partly the trip maybe – I’m not making an excuse but we used the bus because there are no flights from PE.

“Maybe also the psychological effects of that match because maybe we succumbed to this thing that‚ ‘Celtic’s players are not being paid‚ they have been on strike ands stuff like that’. And maybe we though we would cruise.”

Last season Bucs gave one of their best performances of their 2017-18 campaign sweeping Chippa aside 4-2 in Port Elizabeth in an explosive matchup in February.

Pirates‚ who have big expectations following a good preseason under Milutin Sredojevic and last campaign’s promising runners-up finish‚ could not quite click against Highlands.

They will be looking to do so against Chippa‚ so it would seem important for Malesela’s team to keep Bucs from hitting any form of stride.

“Games are different. On the day it can depend on who is more prepared to win‚” the Chippa coach said.

“And I’m thinking that our team has got better leadership this time around than before.

“But the boys had a meeting on their own‚ and I think they know where they went wrong [against Celtic] and they’ve just got to correct that.”

Wednesday’s PSL games (all 7.30pm):

Free State Stars v Maritzburg United (Goble Park)

Lamontville Golden Arrows v Bloemfontein Celtic (Princess Magogo Stadium)

Baroka FC v Cape Town City (Peter Mokaba Stadium)

Chippa United v Orlando Pirates (Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium)

SuperSport United v AmaZulu (Lucas Moripe Stadium)

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