New Chippa United head coach Luc Eymael says he will use the two-week international break to work on the team’s mental fortitude as he prepares to help dig them out of the Betway Premiership relegation zone.
He admits it will not be easy.
The Belgian was speaking after their 3-0 defeat to Orlando Pirates at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Sunday.
The loss was the Eastern Cape team’s fourth in five games. They are at the bottom of the log with just a single point, picked up against Mamelodi Sundowns.
The Downs game was their first of the season, and they showed signs of resilience and good understanding of the system under then-head coach Sinethemba Badela.
But Badela has come and gone and Chippa appear to be in no-man’s land in terms of tactics.
The Pirates game was Eymael’s first game in charge, the fourth face leading the dugout in the space of three weeks.
He had been working with the team behind closed doors while waiting for his work permit. He said the team was far from what he wanted.
“There’s a lot of work to do. I knew that when I was watching from the stands against Richards Bay. We tried to correct some tactical things.
“So, a lot of improvement is needed to try to get Chippa out of this position,” Eymael said.
“I think we need a few more experienced players. This team is very young, and they are not yet fit the way I want them to be. So, a lot of work to do.
“I’m happy that we have two weeks. We have to work a lot, also mentally, but I’m already working on it.
“You saw in the first 45 minutes; the boys didn’t give up.
“We’ll work again on the tactics, we work again physically and at the end of the day, certainly we have to change the mentality.
“Winning is a culture, and it has been a long time since Chippa finished in the top eight, and I think if we succeed in doing that, this season could be a good season for us.”
Eymael also shared some comparisons between the players in SA and the DR Congo where he recently coached Saint-Eloi Lupopo.
“The players also need to understand that here in SA, it’s the Europe of Africa,” he said.
“You have everything. Nice pitches, nice accommodation, nice boots. You have everything. If you compare it to Congo, they are hungry.
“I think you guys don’t know where players stay in Congo and the kind of boots they have.
“They are hungry, and they want to play every day and every game because they want to get out of the country.”
Chippa’s next game is against Orbit College at the Buffalo City Stadium in East London on September 16.
Newly promoted Orbit are also having a tough time in the points column. They are in 15th place with just three points.
Daily Dispatch
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