Malesela questions Chippa United’s character

This comes after the Chilli Boys suffered a 3-2 home loss to the Team of Choice at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

“We need to understand that now it’s not only about the playing part now, it’s about the will to want to win. The drive to want to win and say to yourself, if I’m not tired after 90 minutes then there’s something wrong with me.

“This team came here and they were prepared to do anything to get the points, which was the opposite with us,” Malesela said after the match.

“There was a time when we [were] only taking the punches and only at the end did we want to fight. Those situations decide matches. You have to sometimes grind for points and this is the time to do that.

“I think we missed the strong character, where there’s a will from everybody (to win). I don’t have to sit on the bench and drive the players and tell them do this and that. They must drive themselves.

“We are not a team that has issues in terms of paying the personnel, but we just lack the will not to crack under pressure. We cracked when we were playing Cape Town City because they kept on coming at us. We really need a strong character.”

With Chippa just three points away from the relegation zone, Malesela admitted that he was starting to get concerned about his team’s situation.

“I’m very concerned. I still doubt though that this team will be relegated. It would be an injustice to football if we are to be relegated, but I doubt it. But I’m very concerned. We need to move away from that position.”