Freese admits Magesi are ‘running out of solutions’

Magesi FC head coach Allan Freese has conceded that his side’s sudden defensive frailty has become a “worrying factor” as the Limpopo outfit continues to languish at the foot of the Betway Premiership table.

The veteran mentor watched in frustration on Wednesday night as his backline crumbled under the weight of a ruthless Kaizer Chiefs attack, falling to a heavy 4-1 defeat at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.

The result marks a significant setback for Dikwena Tsa Meetse, who are desperately fighting to preserve their top-flight status with only a handful of fixtures remaining.

THE DEFENSIVE CONUNDRUM FOR FREESE AT MAGESI

For Freese, the most alarming aspect of the defeat was the ease with which Amakhosi found the back of the net. Speaking after the match, a visibly dejected Freese revealed that the technical team was searching for answers even before the final whistle blew.

“Yes, we were speaking about it [conceding a lot of goals] on the bench, and it is a worrying factor,” Freese admitted. “I’m asking why we are conceding so many goals all of a sudden. It has become a worrying factor for everybody.”

The coach highlighted a frustrating “see-saw” effect in the team’s performance. After focusing on their finishing following previous matches, the defensive discipline that had previously kept them competitive seems to have vanished.

“In the last game, we lost and we went home to work on trying to find goals. Today [Wednesday], it was the opposite; we didn’t defend well. So, I think again, do we work on the attack or on the defence?”

A TALE OF TWO HALVES

Despite the lopsided scoreline, Magesi actually enjoyed a competitive opening half-hour, matching the Soweto giants stride for stride and creating half-chances to break the deadlock. However, once Flavio Silva opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, the floodgates opened.

“I thought we did well for the first 30 minutes. We even had a chance to score,” Freese reflected. “But we did not do well enough defensively. We go back and work again. There is nothing else to do; there are still games to be played.”

UP NEXT: DURBAN CITY TEST

The road to survival doesn’t get any easier for the bottom-dwellers. Magesi must now shift their focus to Sunday, April 19, when they host Nedbank Cup finalists Durban City FC at the Seshego Stadium.

With the gap to 14th-placed Marumo Gallants still within a single win’s reach, Freese knows that his side cannot afford another defensive capitulation if they are to avoid the drop.