SuperSport United ‘hungry’ for Caf Confederation Cup
The hangover of competing and reaching the Caf Confederation Cup in 2017 was a dreaded one for SuperSport United who flirted with relegation for most of the subsequent season.
Kaitano Tembo, coach of SuperSport United (Photo by Lee Warren/Gallo Images)
But if you ask Matsatsantsa head coach Kaitano Tembo, he will tell you that he is ready to do it all over again.
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United reached the 2017 final and lost to Congolese side TP Mazembe in the final and after that, they went on to struggle in the league following the taxing journey in the continent’s second tier club competition.
They competed in the Confederation Cup after winning the Nedbank Cup, which gives you a spot in the competition. However, this time around United could return to the competition through a different passage and that would be finishing third in the Absa Premiership – a possibility that remains alive in the last five games to go.
United are fourth and trail third-place Orlando Pirates by two points, but have a game in hand over Bucs.
“If we look back at the squad that we had at that time, we had Thuso Phala, we had Jeremy Brockie, we had Morgan Gould, and we had Tefu Mashamaite. Those were players who were reaching their peak in terms of their best performances and that is why they pushed us to get into the final.
“When we came back we struggled a little bit but when I look back I look at players like Jamie Webber, Sipho Mbule, Teboho Mokoena, they made their debut in Africa. Mbule scored against TP Mazembe and that is what you need from your young players when you throw them in the deep end,” said Tembo.
He went on to say this time around he feels his team has got enough legs to carry them on both the continental and domestic front because of the number of youngsters he has in his team.
“I think they will be able to double up and play in the league and still play in Africa because they have got the energy and the legs. It also exposes them to different ways of playing and different conditions and that is what will build them mentally.”
He added: “I would want to go back to Africa irrespective of what happened. If we finish third I would gladly want to play in Africa so that we can expose our youngsters to those conditions.”
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