SuperSport United Too Strong For Cape Town City

Eric Tinkler at Cape Town stadium

Cape Town City ran out of luck on Tuesday, 3 January 2023 as SuperSport United proved to be too strong for the Capetonians and walked away with a 1-0 victory, thanks to a Bradley Grobler second-half header goal that found Darren Keet wanting.

Cape Town City is known for its possession-based game and attacking ability, but that was nowhere to be found against SuperSport United. City coach, Eric Tinkler, admitted his side was off the mark in their encounter against SuperSport United.

“Normally our possession stats are very good, but today we did not show that. Our passing was very poor, and we gave the ball away very cheaply and that played in their hands. I thought for the majority of the game we dealt with the ball, we dealt with the crosses, and we dealt with the corners, but you have to have the ball to create chances. We were struggling to link up with the front four. We played too many passes sideways and backwards and not risking a pass into the strikers and we needed to do more of that,” Tinkler said in his post-match interview.

Cape Town City managed 8 goal attempts but with only 1 shot on target and had 50 percent ball possession, while SuperSport had 13 goal attempts and 6 shots on target. Those numbers are a true reflection of how City played throughout the game.

There is a lot of self-reflection that needs to take place in Cape Town City. With the ability that the team has at its disposal, one can question the fighting spirit of certain players in the team. Mpho Makola has been coming off the bench for quite some time for Cape Town City and he has not produced results. Makola is known for his passing attributes and capability to light up the stage, none of which has been seen recently.

However, Cape Town City still can purchase new players, as the transfer window is now officially open. The Citizens will need to recruit more muscle to help them if they want to finish in the top 8 of the table, as they are currently occupying the 10th position, having accumulated 16 points from 14 games played.

Also Read: Tinkler – We need to start well

Eric Tinkler, coach of Cape Town City reacts to a foul during the DStv Premiership 2022/2023 match against Stellenbosch FC at Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town on 20 August 2022. Picture: Shaun Roy/BackpagePix
Eric Tinkler, coach of Cape Town City reacts to a foul during the DStv Premiership 2022/2023 match against Stellenbosch FC at Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town on 20 August 2022. Picture: Shaun Roy/BackpagePix