Durban - AmaZulu coach Brandon Truter has conceded that he was happy to have gotten his team’s 0-0 stalemate with TS Galaxy “over and done with”.
It was a less than polished performance from Usuthu who had just 38% ball possession against the Rockets. Truter’s men did muster 12 shots with their finesse in the final third letting them down.
A surprise decision made by Truter ahead of the game was to hand 35-year-old striker Lehlohonolo Majoro a start. While Majoro can remain a good impact substitute due to his composure, it was he who had AmaZulu’s best opportunities in the game but pace which the veteran has lost over the years ended up letting him down.
“We didn’t start or play well at all. We can do so much better. It is the first game. We were slow on the block and last to the ball. Our playing patterns and structure went out of the window. They forced us to change a bit and we had to change the formation and close it a bit from the side. It was unlike us today,” said Truter.
AmaZulu surprisingly let go of Augustine Mulenga and Luvuyo Memela during the off season despite the duo having been arguably the team’s two best finishers in recent years. There was talk over recent weeks that Memela could potentially rejoin Usuthu but he has since joined Richards Bay FC. Meanwhile, Zambian international Mulenga remains without a club.
Despite the mediocre performance on the day, Truter was adamant that his side can make significant progress going forward.
“It is an AmaZulu team that can do a lot better. It is an AmaZulu team that has a lot of quality. I am excited about that. Nothing has been won or lost in the first game of the season. There is a lot to change. We have Dumisani Zuma who is injured and Bongi Ntuli is not fully fit. Momentum will come around the third or fourth game. With the congestion of fixtures coming, I will need to protect players for their careers going forward,” said Truter.
AmaZulu will next be in action on Wednesday evening as they play their first home encounter of the new league season against SuperSport United at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
@EshlinV