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SuperSport United coach Tembo unsure of catching up with leaders Kaizer Chiefs

Kaitano Tembo is giving young players a chance to shine.
Kaitano Tembo is giving young players a chance to shine.
Image: ©Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix

SuperSport United must put aside immediate thoughts of being title contenders and go back to a game-by-game approach for the second half of the season after slipping at the weekend and falling 11 points behind leaders Kaizer Chiefs, says coach Kaitano Tembo.

SuperSport ended 2019 with a 1-0 loss at Chippa United in Port Elizabeth at the weekend and looked flat by Tembo’s own admission.

“It was a very disappointing result. If you want to fight for the league you need to be consistent, you need to win games, five, six in a row, but if you cannot do that you are always going to have to play catch up.

“We had an opportunity against Chippa to close the gap a little bit but we didn’t and that’s one area where we need to improve.

“The gap is now too big, so we need to focus on closing the gap first before we start speaking about the title.”

But Tembo still believes SuperSport have the right resources to go on and take a first title since 2010.

“We’ve got a very good team, to be honest we’ve got enough talent to really give it a go but at the same time I think we’ve got a few youngsters and (with them) you are going to have games where you don’t finds the consistency.

“We have to make sure we keep believing in them and motivating them.

“We just have to regroup and focus on the next game.”

SuperSport have an immediate opportunity to cut into Chiefs’ lead in the New Year when they host the top of the table team in Atteridgeville on Saturday January 4 and then also meet fellow frontrunners Mamelodi Sundowns later in the month.