Malesela requires focus from his TS Galaxy players ahead of Enyimba test
Image: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
TS Galaxy coach Dan Malesela has appealed to his charges to adjust their mindset when they face Nigeria powerhouse Enyimba in the final playoff stage of the Caf Confederations Cup.
Galaxy travel to Aba‚ Nigeria‚ to play the first leg on October 27 and then the South Africans side will host the return match at Mbombela Stadium on Sunday November 3.
Malesela conceded that Enyimba pose a serious threat after seeing them up-close when they faced Mamelodi Sundowns in the 2017 Caf Champions League.
But the Rockets mentor said he would not obsess too much on the Nigerians‚ instead preferring to rather focus on working on his team’s strengths.
“I have seen a bit of this team when they played Sundowns.
"You cannot say teams will be the same when you play them‚” he told the club's website.
“I prefer focusing on my team and making necessary adjustments according to how the game dictates us to play it.
“There are some games where you know you are in control and you don’t have to do much but there are matches that require you to adjust your game plan.
“There are so many ways of playing a match and the match itself will inform you what to do‚” said Malesela.
The reigning Nedbank Cup champions have shocked many sides during their fairytale run in the Confed Cup and while they continue to carry the underdog tag‚ they cannot be taken lightly.
Malesela said competing at home and on the continent has required a tricky balancing act as both competitions require adequate preparation and planning.
“It is just how you need to manage the players and strike a balance.
"We don’t have everyone registered for Caf‚ which at least gives us fresh legs in the league.
“There’s a fairly balanced way of doing it for now‚ although we need to register more players for the competition (Caf Confederations Cup) if we want to progress even further.
“We got into this situation knowing very well what will happen when we advance further‚ so it is a matter of adjusting our minds accordingly and giving it our best on both fronts‚” concluded Malesela.