Johnson wary of ‘different’ Chiefs side

AmaZulu coach Cavin Johnson was left frustrated after the goalless draw against Highlands Park at the weekend as he felt the Lions of the North changed from an attacking side he saw in their last game to a defensive side.

Johnson however admitted that they also didn’t do enough to break down Highlands and although they had a few chances, they were not clear cut.

“They came for a point,” said Johnson. “They sat back and let us control the ball. We got the opportunities. We should have used them better. There were not many clear cut chances but we were happy with the way we played,” he added.

READ: Chiefs star Molangoane on the mend

The 60-year-old mentor said he would not use the popular phrase that they “parked a bus” but he was still unimpressed with Owen Da Gama’s approach.

“The way they played against (Orlando) Pirates and against us is chalk and cheese. I don’t want to say they parked the bus, I would rather say they used constrictive defending against us. It is two points dropped for us. We were better than the point we got. But we take positives going forward. I can’t say I am unhappy with the result, it is football.”

Johnson is hoping for a better result when they host Kaizer Chiefs at King Zwelithini Stadium tomorrow night, and he said he knows Amakhosi have changed under Ernst Middendorp.

“It’s a big game again for us. Chiefs have a new coach. Most times a new broom sweeps cleaner. We have to prepare ourselves better. We will have to hold the ball a little better in the final third.” he said.

Under Middendorp Amakhosi have lost two in six games and will be hoping to continue where they left off against Bidvest Wits.

“There is a big difference. Under (Giovanni) Solinas they were a particular team and under Ernst they will be a different side, you can just see by who holds the armband just now. Yes, Khune is out with an injury but they play differently.

“They are lopsided sometimes – they play a left footer on the right and vice versa and a striker in midfield. They do a lot of things differently,” said the Westbury-born mentor.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.