Distraught Chippa United coach Luc Eymael said both he and the players needed to reflect deeply and critically assess their roles after their 4-1 defeat to Richards Bay in the Carling Knockout at the weekend.
Sunday’s game marked Eymael’s third defeat since taking charge of the Chilli Boys. Of the six matches the Belgian has managed the team, he has secured only one win.
Eymael is particularly frustrated that his squad continues to repeat errors he has worked persistently to fix since joining the Gqeberha club.
He apologised to Chippa supporters for the team’s poor performance against Richards Bay at the uMhlathuze stadium.
Last season, the club also had a short run in the cup competition, being knocked out by TS Galaxy in the first round.
“I am very disappointed and I am very sorry to all the Chilli Boys fans and the family of Chippa United,” Eymael said.
“We cannot expect such a performance on the pitch, because in the first half we made terrible mistakes, the same ones as in the past.
“We tried to correct the mistakes, and we saw in our last matches that things were getting better. But today we went back to making those mistakes, and I cannot accept that.
“This is very bad for the family and fans of Chippa United. I am very disappointed.
“Congratulations to Richards Bay, they profited from our silly mistakes.”
Eymael said the team had already lost ground in the league before his arrival and he failed to understand why the players could not change their ways.
“They have already lost so many points due to these mistakes, even before I came, but they keep on doing the same thing. It’s not normal.
“There are players, I think, who understand. But it seems, after some games, they forget what we have been working on. We cannot proceed like that.
“I am working hard for the team. I think it’s been a minimum of five years since I lost a game 4-1.
“So, you can understand coming from a team that qualified for the Champions League and beat TP Mazembe and seeing mistakes like that repeating all the time, it’s difficult to accept.
“But, it’s OK. Everybody needs to look at themselves in the mirror, including myself. And again, I want to apologise to all the people who support Chippa United.
“There is only one thing to do now, and that is to bounce back quickly. The guys will rest now, not only physically but also mentally.
“I hope they are capable of looking at themselves in the mirror and analysing themselves, because if they can’t do that, it will be a big problem,” the coach said.
The Herald
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