With Richards Bay going through a rough patch in the DStv Premiership, coach Vasili Manousakis has urged senior players with Premiership experience to stand up and help them turn things around.
The Natal Rich Boyz saw their excellent start in their maiden season end as they are without a win in their last five league matches.
They have lost three and drawn two of their last five matches and as they prepare to host Kaizer Chiefs at King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday (3.30pm), Manousakis is looking up to senior players.
“What we are hoping for is those guys who have experience, who know how to dig deep and turn it around when a situation is like this to help us now,” Manousakis explained to Sowetan yesterday.
“Players like Sibonginhlanhla Mthethwa, Ntsikelelo Nyauza, Abel Mabaso, Nkayiso Zungu and Luvuyo Memela, we are hoping these guys can pull for us and sometimes it takes one win to change things around.”
Despite being without a win in their last five matches, the coach insists the players are positive heading into the final nine games. “We are not in the best run, but the boys remain positive. It is not something which we didn’t expect was not going to happen,” he said.
“We predicted, we always said many times and we were honest with ourselves that the second half would be very difficult. We don’t have a squad like other teams have and you know, one of our big issues is that we were very solid defensively.
“Now in the last four games, including the Nedbank Cup [2-3 defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns], we conceded eight goals in four matches. It is unlike us and sometimes you need one of those big teams to play against to give the opportunity to the boys to lift them up as we know the players like to play those types of games.”
Manousakis added that he expected Chiefs to come out with guns blazing as they would try to prove that their win over Orlando Pirates was not a fluke.
“We will respect them. They took out Orlando Pirates, who were in great form. It is a team that will be fired up at the back of that result, so it will be an interesting game.”
Coach asks veterans to help turn Richards Bay around
Manousakis calls out Nyauza, Co to end poor form
Image: Darren Stewart/Gallo Images)
With Richards Bay going through a rough patch in the DStv Premiership, coach Vasili Manousakis has urged senior players with Premiership experience to stand up and help them turn things around.
The Natal Rich Boyz saw their excellent start in their maiden season end as they are without a win in their last five league matches.
They have lost three and drawn two of their last five matches and as they prepare to host Kaizer Chiefs at King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday (3.30pm), Manousakis is looking up to senior players.
“What we are hoping for is those guys who have experience, who know how to dig deep and turn it around when a situation is like this to help us now,” Manousakis explained to Sowetan yesterday.
“Players like Sibonginhlanhla Mthethwa, Ntsikelelo Nyauza, Abel Mabaso, Nkayiso Zungu and Luvuyo Memela, we are hoping these guys can pull for us and sometimes it takes one win to change things around.”
Despite being without a win in their last five matches, the coach insists the players are positive heading into the final nine games. “We are not in the best run, but the boys remain positive. It is not something which we didn’t expect was not going to happen,” he said.
“We predicted, we always said many times and we were honest with ourselves that the second half would be very difficult. We don’t have a squad like other teams have and you know, one of our big issues is that we were very solid defensively.
“Now in the last four games, including the Nedbank Cup [2-3 defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns], we conceded eight goals in four matches. It is unlike us and sometimes you need one of those big teams to play against to give the opportunity to the boys to lift them up as we know the players like to play those types of games.”
Manousakis added that he expected Chiefs to come out with guns blazing as they would try to prove that their win over Orlando Pirates was not a fluke.
“We will respect them. They took out Orlando Pirates, who were in great form. It is a team that will be fired up at the back of that result, so it will be an interesting game.”
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