Zwane: We Are Minying For Top Eight Spot
AmaZulu coach Arthur Zwane believes the race for the top eight will go down to the wire, acknowledging that missed opportunities have put them in a precarious position where they must rely on favorable results elsewhere.
Usuthu squandered a significant chance to solidify their top-eight aspirations after being held to a 1-1 draw by fellow top-eight hopefuls Polokwane City in their Betway Premiership encounter at King Zwelithini Stadium on Friday night.
Despite the draw, AmaZulu is currently sixth in the league standings with 34 points after 27 matches. They have one remaining fixture against Orlando Pirates on 24 May.
Overcoming Pirates presents a formidable challenge for AmaZulu, as they haven’t defeated them in Durban since 2009 at Chatsworth Stadium. Furthermore, the upcoming match will be played at Moses Mabhida Stadium, a venue that historically favors Pirates in terms of fan attendance and where AmaZulu haven’t secured a home win against them since the stadium’s reopening for domestic use after the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
“It is tough for everyone,” admitted Zwane.
“Today [Friday], we had a golden opportunity to make our lives a little bit easier – secure the three points and effectively put Polokwane City at a disadvantage in the top-eight race, leaving others to contend with them.”
“And then we face Pirates. In that game, even a draw would have earned us valuable points.”
“The disadvantage we face is that we have played more games than most other teams. This makes it easier for our rivals to strategize, knowing that if we lose to Pirates, they can capitalize on their remaining games to potentially leapfrog us into the top eight.”
“But that’s the nature of football; we only have ourselves to blame because we had numerous opportunities earlier in the season to put ourselves in a much more comfortable position.”
“But that’s football, what can I do? We are now in a situation where we have to ‘tighten our belts’ and hope that other results go our way, just as others have been doing.”
“So, the race for the top eight will go down to the wire because teams like SuperSport United are fighting for their survival. It’s a dog-eat-dog situation now; no one is safe.”
Zwane jokingly referenced the social media sensation Nkululeko Dlamini, known as the “King of Squats,” saying they would have to emulate his rigorous exercise routine.
“We are going to do a lot of squats, like that guy who has been doing squats [for almost two years now]. We are going to exercise squat, ‘minying’ [tightening our buttocks],” Zwane quipped.
However, Zwane then turned serious, stating, “You create your own luck in football. We wouldn’t be in the situation we are in now if we had converted our chances. Look at the number of games we played where we created numerous opportunities [but failed to score].”
“Things like this are always going to happen in football because the officials [referees] are also under pressure to perform.”
