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JOHANNESBURG. — Zimbabwean coach Kaitano Tembo says he is pleased with the way his SuperSport side has bounced back after a false start to the season which saw them lose their opening match 0-2 at Cape Town City. Tembo’s men have responded with 1-0 victories over AmaZulu and Bidvest Wits either side of edging Orlando Pirates on penalties in the MTN8 quarter-finals.

“I’m happy because I see progress in the team,” Tembo said.
“From day one we had a false start against Cape Town City but since that game we have been improving as a team, and I’m very happy about that.

“We are playing as a unit and we are playing well as a team. We had a few chances, only the final pass especially in the final third (needed improvement).”

Tembo added that the victory against the Clever Boys has boosted their confidence for the first leg of their MTN8 semi-final against Kaizer Chiefs at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday.

“It’s a morale-booster. I think it gave us a a little bit of less pressure in terms of us preparing for the MTN8, and after that we play Chippa United.

“We are trying to put more emphasis in league matches as well, as we don’t want to see what happened to us last season,” he said, referring to their fight against relegation last term.

Tembo was earlier this month appointed permanent head coach of Matsatsantsa, having initially been handed the reins in an interim capacity following Eric Tinkler’s exit in March.

Tembo’s countryman, Tinashe Nengomasha, has backed Kaizer Chiefs coach Giovanni Solinas after the Amakhosi registered their worst start to a league campaign in a decade with a loss and three draws.

“I think I believe in the process. We are playing some good football in the last couple of games but we conceded soft goals,” Katsande said.

“I think going forward we just need to work on our execution like the coach said. We just need to be more clinical in front of the goal.

“But all is not lost. We know that there’s pressure out there, we just need to do good. We can only affect the future and whatever happens yesterday we don’t have power over it. The only thing we can affect is the future which is the next game.

“Now we need to go back to the drawing board and try and rectify one or two things. We managed to create a few chances which is positive and a plus to us, because if we were not getting there to the final third that was going to be a big mountain to climb.

“But we are getting there, and we just need the finesse, which is the final touch. But I think with time, processes, I think it’ll come right.”

Amakhosi next visit SuperSport United in the first leg of the MTN8 quarter-finals at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday — Kick-Off