We can translate our Caf performance to the league, says Gallants coach Maleka ahead of Royal AM clash

19 October 2021 - 14:47 By OFENTSE RATSIE
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Marumo Gallants players warming up.
Marumo Gallants players warming up.
Image: TWITTER/Marumo Gallants

Marumo Gallants coach Mpho Maleka was pleased to see his side overcome the DRC's AS Vita Club but feels that they still need to improve their defence ahead of their encounter with high-flying Royal AM in a domestic league match on Tuesday.

The Limpopo team beat AS Vita 2-1 in a Caf Confederation Cup second preliminary round first leg a week ago but Maleka is concerned that they have not managed the same composure on the local front. Gallants have been doing well on the continent but are struggling replicate the same form in the domestic DStv Premiership as they remain without a victory in five matches.

Maleka urged his players to stick together and remain positive as they look to turn their fortunes around.

“What we wanted in the previous match was a win to boost our confidence going into domestic matches,” he said. “The biggest challenge was to get the mental strength, the physiological part of our players to say, can we turn things around as much as we didn’t have a good start domestically.”

Maleka remains hopeful that his charges will eventually turn the corner.

“Though we are doing well in the Caf Confederation Cup, can we translate that performance to our league matches?” he said. “We can rebuild the confidence and do well locally, and achieve what we wanted to achieve. As much as we have lost the coach [Sebastien Migne], life has to go on and we have to build on the victory against Vita.”

Migne was  shown the door almost two weeks ago after a disciplinary hearing found him guilty of insubordination and directing abusive language at the club's technical director Harris Choeu.

The incident took place in public at OR Tambo International Airport in the presence of the players and the technical team while the team was travelling to Durban to play against Golden Arrows in a league match last week.

Arrows compounded Gallants’ misery with an impressive 3-1 victory at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Durban.

Frenchman Migne has now  threatened to take legal action against the Limpopo club and approach world football governing body Fifa.

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