sportskeeda
Cape Town City coach Diogo Peral underscored the crucial need for victories as the season nears its end, warning that a lack of wins could lead to serious issues for the club.
The Cape Town team finds itself in the third-to-last position in the league standings, having garnered 24 points from 26 matches, with only six wins this season. They are narrowly ahead of 15th-placed SuperSport United, who are just one point behind but have three games in hand.
This season, both City and SuperSport have experienced changes in their coaching staff. Eric Tinkler was dismissed in December and replaced by Muhsin Ertugral, who was let go in March following unsatisfactory results. Peral was then appointed to guide the team for the remainder of the season, with former Orlando Pirates coach Roger de Sa serving as his assistant.
Despite the reshuffle in the coaching staff, the anticipated outcomes have not been achieved, as the club suffered a 1-0 loss to Richards Bay at King Zwelithini Stadium on Friday. This defeat marked City’s 14th loss of the season, attended by club chairman John Comitis and his sons in Durban.
When asked whether SuperSport’s challenges offered any solace, Peral brushed aside such notions, emphasizing the urgent necessity for his team to secure victories.
“I’m not sure if we can navigate through the rest of the season without a win and still evade trouble; we have to secure a win sometime soon,” Peral stated. “A victory or even a draw isn’t sufficient; we need to win to escape our current situation. The teams at the bottom are all performing well, and they’ll be securing wins. We need to find a way to achieve results; otherwise, we could end up in a dangerous spot by the end of the season.”
The loss to Richards Bay means that City has now gone 13 matches across all competitions without a victory. Their last win was in January against the same Richards Bay in Cape Town.
Furthermore, away matches have proven particularly challenging for the team. They have only managed to secure one away victory this season, which was against Chippa United in December.
Adding to their struggles, City was active in the transfer market before the season began, signing several new players, including Haashim Domingo, Fortune Makaringe, Carlinhos (who, unfortunately, suffered an ACL injury), Kamohelo Mokotjo, Amadou Soukouna, Kayden Francis, Elson Sithole, Lefa Aphane, Sibusiso Ziba, Ntsikelelo Ngqonga, Idumba Fasika (who returned on loan), and Prins Tjiueza.
The club also promoted Xhosa Manyana, Emile Witbooi, Gabriel Amato, and Siphamandla Dondolo from their youth academy.
Despite these additions, Peral noted that none of the new arrivals have made a significant impact on the team’s performances. He hinted that some players may be released at the end of the season.
“There are definitely several factors [contributing to our poor performance], and we’ll address those issues at the end of the season,” he remarked. “For now, we need everyone in the squad.”
