Injuries and missed chances worry AmaZulu coach, Arthur Zwane

AmaZulu’s coach Arthur Zwane was disappointed after his team lost at home on Tuesday, saying that they tend to drop points whenever there’s an opportunity to move up the log standings.

AmaZulu lost 1-0 to Polokwane City at the Princess Magogo Stadium. That result saw them remain sixth on the log, whereas they could have climbed as high as third had they secured all three points.

Usuthu were expected to be a top-four team according to chairman Sandile Zungu. However, they have only achieved that once, when Benni McCarthy impressivlly led the team to a runners-up finish a few seasons ago.

With the season not yet at its halfway mark, AmaZulu could still turn their fortunes around and find some consistency going forward. Zwane has identified what they need to fix in order to achieve their targets by May.

“Last season, we had five opportunities to move into fifth position, and we didn’t take any of them. It was easy to get into position five,” Zwane said. “Whenever there was a game for us to move higher up, we dropped points. That’s the mentality I need to fix.

“We don’t need that. We need to take our chances and ensure that, by hook or by crook, we see ourselves in a top position this time around. But it’s a work in progress. I’m just disappointed that we lost the game.”

Zwane has also expressed concern about the team’s growing injury list. Against Rise and Shine, defender Keagan Allan sustained an injury, forcing Zwane to change the team’s structure.

“I’m still going to meet with the medical team, and they’ll give their feedback to the technical team,” Zwane said regarding Allan’s injury. “However, it’s a worrying factor because we’ve lost a few important players from the starting lineup. That also breaks the rhythm of the team.

“I know we should give other players a chance, but in this game, we could have easily grabbed maximum points at home. We let ourselves down. We had to play a makeshift defence, with Bongani (Zungu) as one of the defenders, and he did well.”

The return of Bongani Zungu to full fitness augurs well for Zwane and the team. The former Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder brings experience through his incisive passes that can penetrate pockets of space.

Zungu is also mentoring the younger players both on and off the pitch, which is why the team effectively has an extra “coach” whenever he’s fully fit and playing.

Zwane revealed that they had to fast-track Zungu’s return as the team continued to lose crucial players to injury in recent weeks.

“It’s worrying the way we’re losing players, especially the core of the team,” Zwane continued. “We actually pushed Bongani because he wasn’t ready to play the minutes that he did. We looked at the bench and decided we needed an experienced player who could read the game well.

“He was able to minimise the space in front when they were trying to come at us. So, I think tremendously well when it comes to that with Sandile (Mthethwa).”