Kaizer Chiefs head coach Arthur Zwane has explained why he substituted striker Christian Salie despite the forward being on the scoresheet for Amakhos
Kaizer Chiefs head coach Arthur Zwane has explained why he substituted striker Christian Salie despite the forward being on the scoresheet for Amakhosi in their 2-1 defeat to Swallows.
The Glamour Boys lost their second game over the last three matches, which all but ended their hopes of qualifying for the CAF Champions League.
Saile scored Chiefs’ only goal of the game, equalising Swallows’ seventh-minute lead by Gregory Damons after 23 minutes. But the Dube Birds again went ahead in the 33rd minute thanks to a goal by Bongani Sam.
Despite Chiefs chasing the game, Zwane opted to take Saile off after 64 minutes, with his substitution coming shortly after he fluffed a two-vs-one situation because he was too selfish instead of passing to Ashley Du Preez.
“He’s been playing week-in and week-out. We just had a game on Thursday and you could see [he was tired],” he said when asked by iDiski Times about Saile’s sub.
“As much as you could see he showed a little bit of energy but thinking-wise, mentally you could see fatigue in terms of decision-making.
“And also, we’re thinking now about another game that is coming. We didn’t want to risk injuries, we have too many injuries already and we’re trying to find the balance in the squad.
“This week you lose this one, next week you lose that one. I’m just happy that today all the guys that started and those who came off the bench they will be able to be available for selection, which is very, very key for us.
“We will see how we’re going to start and prepare for the next game.”
Chiefs now turn their focus to the Nedbank Cup where they will face in-form Soweto rivals Orlando Pirates, who have won their last six successive DStv Premiership games and sit five points ahead of them on the log with one game in hand.
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