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Vusumuzi Vilakazi: Richards Bay turning a blind eye to Baroka FC coaching issues

Smiso Msomi|Published

Richards Bay coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi has admitted that his knowledge of Morgan Mammila’s thought processes gives him a slight edge in terms of planning for Baroka FC. Photo: BackpagePix

Richards Bay coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi has set his sights on using his knowledge of Baroka’s new interim coach Morgan Mammila to his advantage when the two teams meet in the PSL play-offs.

The Natal Rich Boyz will make the trip to Limpopo to meet Bakgaga Ba Mphahlele in their second match of the promotion/relegation play-offs at the Global Village Stadium today (3pm).

Baroka made a shock decision to place coach Dan Malesela on special leave following their loss to the University of Pretoria in the first round.

The club elected to appoint Mammila, who had just been laid off by Chippa United himself.

Mammila and Vilakazi worked closely together at the Chilli Boys in coach and technical director roles respectively.

The two men will sit on opposite sides of the dug-out this time around, and will look to outsmart each other with a place in next season’s DStv Premiership on the line.

Vilakazi has admitted that his knowledge of Mammila’s thought processes gives him a slight edge in terms of planning ahead of this encounter, but does not expect wholesale changes.

“It does (give us an advantage) in a way that if I look at him, I know what he prefers – his identity and his philosophy. But I don’t think they will have many changes, to be honest,” Vilakazi told the media after his side beat AmaTuks 1-0 on Wednesday to move to the summit of the round-robin tournament.

“They don’t have time to change – it will be a true reflection of what they were during the season. If they change, I think that will be the biggest mistake they will make, and we will punish them for that.”

Malesela guided Baroka to a third-place finish in the Motsepe Foundation Championship, and helped them qualify for the play-offs for a chance to return to the top flight after two seasons in the second tier.

Vilakazi refused to be drawn into expecting a conflicted Baroka, stating that the playing personnel would have a huge impact on the result, given their desire to play in the top flight.

Richards Bay lead the round-robin standings, and are level on points with Tuks, while Baroka aim to collect their first set of points.

“I wouldn’t agree that this has damaged them, because it’s a coaching department that got disturbed,” he said.

“But it’s the very same players who are still there, and we cannot undermine them or take them for granted that they have lost the game against AmaTuks.

“They are the ones who are dangerous, because they are desperate to get the three points. So, they will make things difficult for us, and proper planning against them will be key. We can’t undermine them.

“The changes they made in the coaching staff, I don’t think they can affect their system or the hunger of the players that they want to see themselves playing in the DStv Premiership. We can’t take that one. As much as we see what’s happening, we are turning a blind eye and focusing on the game.”

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