SuperSport target three points against Ajax
After experiencing agony for the third time in a continental club final, SuperSport United coach Eric Tinkler's best way to move away from the disappointment of losing the Caf Confederation Cup final to TP Mazembe this past weekend is to redirect his focus to the Absa Premiership.
Eric Tinkler (Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix)
Matsatsantsa will tonight begin their catch-up programme after falling behind on the domestic front due to their continental commitments.
United take on Stanley Menzo’s frail Ajax Cape Town at the Mbombela Stadium tonight, with the Urban Warriors a point behind Matsatsantsa. However, United have only just played five games in contrast to the Urban Warriors’ 10.
“We have to put it behind us and we must move on and focus on our next objective which is the league,” said Tinkler.
“We are looking for a positive response and we will find that out when we play Ajax – we will know how that (defeat in the final) affected the team emotionally and psychologically.
“We plan to make quite a few changes because we have brought in new faces and we need to refresh the squad a bit. Now we can really start focusing on our league campaign … that becomes the main objective now.”
The capital city-based side only needed one goal to win the trophy after losing 2-1 in the first-leg in Lubumbashi. In their quest for that elusive goal, Tinkler says his game plan initially was to attack Mazembe with long aerial balls, which were ineffective considering the towering height of the Congolese side’s backline.
“In those opening 15 minutes we lost the ball very cheaply and they were hurting us on a few occasions but I felt we settled. In the first 15 minutes we were looking to go long but I felt that wasn’t going to help us because they were going to win all of those balls and we still needed to build from the back and absorb that pressure and we did that.”
Ajax Cape Town, meanwhile, will have to bounce back quickly from a demoralising draw with AmaZulu on Saturday. Menzo’s side led 2-0 heading into the final minute but a last-minute strike from Mhlengi Cele followed by a stoppage-time equaliser by Mabhuti Khenyeza against his former side saw them pick up only a single point.
Ajax have picked up just two wins all season and are currently in a three-way tie at the bottom of the table on nine points.
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