It’s time for Benni McCarthy to realise his Cape Town City vision.,
Back when Benni took the reins ahead of last season, the novice coach said he wanted his team to smash teams “six or seven-nil”.
They didn’t really live up to those heights last term, scoring 26 goals in the 30-game league and missing out on winning the MTN8 at the final hurdle.
A frustrated Benni has slammed his attack on an almost weekly basis.
One of his best pot shots at his players was saying that he could do better in front of goal at 40 than his hitmen.
Another time, frustrated by his misfiring manne, the all-time leading goalscorer for Bafana Bafana said he would ask his mom how she managed to create a natural marksman.
This season, City are off to a solid start.
They may have negotiated a return to the MTN8 final, but with just one win in their opening four PSL games this season, there is room for improvement.
However, City have scored big time in the transfer market by landing some top attacking talent.
Since the turn of the year, Zimbabwe international Matthew Rusike and winger Surprise Ralani have joined and in the recent offseason, there has been a flood to replace the deadwood they moved on.
In came Riyaad Norodien, Siphelele “Shaka Zulu” Mthembu, Gift Links and finally Tokelo Rantie.
That mixture of experience and potential is something Benni can work with to solve his goalscoring problems.
The pace and guile of the widemen like Links, Norodien, Ralani and and the impressive Craig Martin give him direct running on the wings.
Benni now needs to get these manne into goalscoring positions more often, by creating space for them to run into in the centre of the park.
There, the power and movement of Rusike, Shaka and Rantie can pull defences out of position.
And the targetmen must take their chances.
It may not be the tiki-taka style that Benni talked about at his unveiling, but this direct approach can hurt teams whose defences are not well organised.
It’s time for City to fire and they can send out a message if they get the better of a Kaizer Chiefs side who are winless.