AmaZulu coach Pablo Franco Martin maintains that the Durban-based side has shown significant improvement since his appointment at the beginning of the season.

However, their current position of 13th in the DStv Premiership table paints a different picture, with Martin appears sounding like a scratched record in more than one occasion.

Despite their lowly ranking, Martin highlights several positive developments. “When I arrived, we barely managed a couple of shots on target in pre-season and the first league game,” he said. “Now, we’re playing toe-to-toe with all the teams and creating more scoring opportunities.”

The Spanish coach also points to the recent call-up of Mlondi Mbanjwa to the national team (Bafana Bafana) as a sign of progress. Mbanjwa’s appearance in the international friendly against Andorra marked the significant for Usuthu as Veli Mothwa has been the one getting the call-ups but not playing.

Reaching the semi-finals of the Carling Cup and the quarter-finals of the Nedbank Cup are additional achievements Martin emphasizes. However, Cijimpi believes they could have done even better.

“There’s definite improvement, but the results haven’t always reflected that,” Cijimpi said. “We hadn’t reached the Nedbank Cup quarter-finals in 12 years, and it could have been the semi-finals if not for certain factors. Similarly, we reached the Carling Cup semi-finals, and with a bit more luck, it could have been the finals.”

“Our league position isn’t where we want to be, that’s true,” he continued. “But there are external factors that have also affected us.”

AmaZulu will be looking to bounce back when they face an in-form Chippa United, who are currently in the Nedbank Cup semi-finals, this Saturday (15:00).

Article by Sizwe Ntshololo