Steve to persist with his philosophy despite Birds defeat

Moroka Swallows coach Steve Komphela has emphasised that the Birds will not abandon their new philosophy of building from the back, despite paying a hefty price against Kaizer Chiefs.

Swallows lost 1-0 to Chiefs in the league at Dobsonville Stadium on Sunday. The goal, scored by Christian Saile in the 82nd minute, came after Swallows were dispossessed in their own half when trying to start from the back.

“You have to stay true to your identity and to the process. You must be courageous. We don’t change even if we are chasing the game because logic says if you start the ball at the back, you move it into the midfield and you can reach the final third in possession and you are still in full control of the ball,” Komphela insisted.

“If as a coach you panic, your players are going to panic, but what you say from the onset is that ‘we are going to play from the back, we are going to be safe and secure, we are going to add numbers, we are going to create angles and everybody must be aware’. People who have never seen us practice this [thing of building up from the back], will think that ‘hey. what are they doing’?

“We know very well what we are doing but the secret is when to pass. Despite failing to score and win against Amakhosi at home, Komphela was still convinced they did well as far as their approach to build from the back was concerned. The Birds recorded a single shot on target all game long, while Chiefs had four.”

“How many successful build-ups we had today? I think 98,99% ...we didn’t panic. It’s not only us who go through that [conceding after a failed attempt to start from the back], all teams that build from the back,” Komphela said.

Swallows next face another Soweto foe, Orlando Pirates, at Orlando Stadium next Tuesday.