Klopp has same problem with Firmino - AmaZulu FC's McCarthy defends misfiring Mthembu

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The legendary South African striker has had to defend Shaka, who is enduring a six-match goal drought

AmaZulu FC head coach Benni McCarthy has compared himself to Liverpool FC manager Jurgen Klopp as he praised Siphelele Mthembu following a win over Kaizer Chiefs.

Mthembu was a constant threat to the Chiefs defence throughout the PSL match which ended in a 2-1 win in favour of AmaZulu at FNB Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

The experienced marksman caught the eye with his link-up play with fellow attackers Augustine Mulenga and Lehlohonolo Majoro, who both scored and he has been likened to Liverpool's industrious forward Roberto Firmino by McCarthy.

However, Mthembu was wasteful in front of goal as he squandered several clear cut chances with the Chiefs defence exposed and McCarthy has now defended the 33-year-old player.

“Shaka [Mthembu] is a one of the best team players you can find in the PSL, I think people don’t give him enough credit for the hard work he does and the interlinking football that he plays you know,” McCarthy told the media.

“Sometimes I feel like Jurgen Klopp because Klopp has the same problem every week with Roberto Firmino. Players criticise him but they don’t understand what he brings to the team. If he doesn’t play, you see there’s a little bit of a difference in how they play.

“With Shaka, when he plays he brings that calm on the field and of course as a coach and player you want to be on the scoresheet and score, but he just slotted into that role because he always takes the option to look for a teammate that is in a better position than him. He is not the most selfish striker and sometimes he needs to be more selfish," he continued.

“If you see the assist ratio under me, Shaka has made an assist and I’m happy with that. I don’t care about what others would think, for me as a coach when he is on the pitch I know what we are going to get and 99 percent of the time we come away with three points when Shaka plays.

“So I’m very happy with him, but as a player he would like to score and it’s about the team, not individuals. Shaka is not one of those players that is all about himself, he is all about his teammates to get into the goals and is happy to see the team win, and that’s what some don’t understand."

Siphiwe Tshabalala: AmaZulu FC deny Bafana Bafana legend's exit reports (Jan 27)

Zukile Kewuti: Loan signing from Cape Town City marks Benni McCarthy's first AmaZulu acquisition (Feb 11)

Kaizer Chiefs 1-2 AmaZulu FC: Late Majoro strike breaks Amakhosi hearts (Feb 17)

2021-02-18 18:00:06

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