Benni McCarthy has warned his Cape Town City players to improve... or else.
A frustrated Benni didn’t mince his words after City were eliminated from the Telkom Knockout thanks to a 2-0 pak at the hands of AmaZulu in Umlazi on Tuesday night.
The City has now failed to score in their last three matches and with the feel-good factor of winning the MTN8 at the end of September gone, Benni took a swipe at his players.
He says: “You know, it just gets a bit frustrating when your players don’t want to take responsibility to put the bloody ball in the back of the net. Simple.
“It’s easy to do it in training when there is no opposition.
“Then come game time and it’s like nobody wants to get into positions to score goals.
“But I think I’m gonna have a nice heart to heart with the players, because it’s clear to see that something’s got to give, something’s got to change or else.”
City dominated the first half but after an injury to right winger Craig Martin, the visitors lost their balance, which allowed Usuthu to make inroads down that channel and turn the game in their favour.
Emiliano Tade found the back of the net in the 63rd minute when he found space inside to the box to pick his spot and bury a cutback.
Bongani Ntuli made it 2-0 three minutes later when he pounced on a defensive mix-up between centreback Kwanda Mngonyama and goalkeeper Sage Stephens to stab a loose ball home from a tight angle.
TKO quarterfinals
Weekend of November 3
Maritzburg United v Bidvest Wits
Kaizer Chiefs v SuperSport United
Baroka v Mamelodi Sundowns
AmaZulu v Orlando Pirates