After his indifferent start to the season, Chippa United mentor Daine Klate wants a better performance from his “new team” as he plans to change their fortunes against his former club Orlando Pirates in a DStv Premiership clash on Sunday.
Klate returns to Orlando Stadium, a venue he used to call home back in his days as a player, under pressure to get a positive result.
The young coach kicked off his tenure at the Chilli Boys with a share of the spoils after playing to 1-all draw against Gavin Hunt’s SuperSport United away from home.
Klate went on to lose 3-1 to Royal AM in his second match of the season at home and will need things to change for him to please his impatient and trigger-happy boss Chippa Mpengesi.
Klate has pointed out he has a “new team” and they are still working on combinations, but hopes things will be better against the Sea Robbers on Sunday.
“We are a very new team with 16 signings. We are still trying to find the perfect chemistry, combinations of what is going to work for us and what is not going to work for us,” Klate said.
“We are still yet to get a set starting line-up. Everybody is going to get a chance because the games are coming in thick and fast, so we have to keep the legs fresh.
“I had to take Andile (Mbenyane) off because I’m thinking about Pirates as well and I had to save (Brooklyn) Poggenpoel towards the end of the game (against Royal), bearing in mind we still have a game on Sunday,” he said.
“Hopefully, we can turn it around on Sunday and get a positive result.”
Pirates will be looking to return to winning ways after their 1-1 draw with Stellenbosch FC. Jose Riveiro’s side kicked off the season with a 1-0 win over Swallows FC.
Against Royal on Wednesday, Chippa were two goals down by halftime, but Klate was a bit impressed with his side’s performance in the second stanza.
Klate will want his men to replicate their second-half performance for the duration of the match against Pirates.
“The application, the desire and the intensity we showed in the first half was not good enough and that hurt us a lot.
“And sometimes when you speak about these things as a coach before the match, it happens and luckily now I can go say to the guys ‘but I told you’.
“Once the attitude changes, we are more capable.”
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