Co-coach Vilakazi having sleepless nights as Usuthu lapses

Smiso Msomi

AmaZulu co-coach Vusumuzi ‘Kanu’ Vilakazi cut a helpless figure as he dissected his side’s lapses in concentration after suffering a defeat to Sekhukhune United.

Usuthu’s attempts to climb up the Betway Premiership table were halted as they went down 2-0 to Babina Noko at the King Zwelithini Stadium on Wednesday night.

This latest result leaves them 13th on the league standings, three points away from a spot in the top eight, but also just five short of the relegation zone. Vilakazi has seen his team concede 10 times in the 10 games he and co-coach Arthur Zwane have been at the helm since taking over from Pablo Martin in October.

Alongside those concessions has been a growing worry about the nature of goals that Usuthu have been conceding. Vilakazi in particular has frequently pointed out the times at which his side have let the opposition in, especially in periods deemed crucial during 90 minutes of football.

Having seen his team let Sekhukhune score their first just before halftime and then their second in the 95th minute, those frustrations were visible once more for the former Golden Arrows coach.

Speaking to the media in Umlazi, he felt his team did not show enough to be able to walk away with a positive result on the day, and lamented their negligence at important moments.

“I feel we started very slowly in the first half, and if you have two or three players who aren’t on the ball, we were bound to crack,” he explained.

“We were hoping to go into halftime to regroup at 0-0 and realign our game and tactics.

“But yet again we suffered in a crucial phase of the game where concentration was required just before halftime... But it wasn’t meant to be and they scored.

“Second half, we dominated because they were protecting what they had, but we weren’t aggressive enough to turn those opportunities into goals. We couldn’t, and went on to once again suffer in a crucial phase of the game.

“It is something I always highlight, but I think I need to keep quiet about it now because every time I talk about it, it happens. We were not at our best and we have to be honest. So, we have to sweep this one under the carpet and chin, because we are playing in three days and we have to go to Magesi with the intention of coming back with three points.”

Usuthu travel to Limpopo to face bottom-placed side Magesi on Saturday (3.30pm kick-off), and the KZN club are eager to sharpen their arsenal after putting in a blunt attacking showing at home. “It has always been our problem (scoring goals).

“In all the games we’ve played, we create chances and we are not clinical in front of goals,” Vilakazi concluded.