Vilakazi wants Arrows team to be psychologically sharper

Vusumuzi ‘Kanu’ Vilakazi described coaching at Golden Arrows as a short blanket that needs special care to sleep successfully in. 

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He said if you try to cover the head, the toes poke out. Vilakazi said this after his side dominated but lost against Maritzburg United on Saturday afternoon. 

Maritzburg’s new signing Jose Ali Meza scored the winner at Princess Magogo Stadium in the closing stages of the game. 

The win took Maritzburg out of the relegation places. They are now five points ahead of 16th place in the DStv Premiership, where Marumo Gallants sit.

“We could have won the game. I think the one thing that we need to deal with is the psychological aspect of the players,” said Vilakazi after the game. 

“We seem to lose concentration towards the end of the game. It is something for us that we need to improve on and make sure we keep focus from the start to the end of games. 

“We played very well, dominated the game and created a lot of chances. And that is why their goalkeeper was named Man-of-the-Match,” added the Arrows mentor.

Vilakazi believes his team should be well balanced and be able to defend while also utilising the chances up front.  

Rues missed chances

“I saw about seven chances where we could have converted to goals. That is another aspect we need to improve on. 

“I know football is a short blanket, you try to work on your defence then the attack lags behind. 

“We now need to score but also be able to defend. Have a proper defensive structure so that we can make it difficult for the opponent to score. 

“But we played a side who played on our turnovers. Their goal was from our attack, they got the turnover and it resulted in the goal. 

“There was one of two instances in the first half where they looked dangerous, but we should have also scored,” said Vilakazi.  

The result pushed Arrows towards the relegation places. They are now in 13th place with four points separating them from the bottom position.

Arrows will however get a chance to move away when they host hapless Gallants at Princess Magogo on Wednesday.