AmaZulu head coach Arthur Zwane has admitted that his team still have a lot of work to do after their disappointing elimination from the Carling Knockout Cup following a 2-1 defeat against Stellenbosch FC at the Danie Craven Stadium on Sunday evening.

Usuthu went into the match hoping to continue their impressive run of results and secure a place in the semi-finals. However, their hopes were ended by a late penalty after Taariq Fielies was penalised for handball during stoppage time. The defeat also brought an end to AmaZulu's unbeaten run, which had lasted since August.

The result was a setback for Zwane's team, who had been showing significant improvement in recent weeks. Before facing Stellenbosch, AmaZulu had won six consecutive matches, building confidence among their supporters and establishing themselves as one of the teams to watch in the competition.

Zwane was recently recognised for his work after being named Betway Premiership Coach of the Month for September and October. However, despite the progress made by his team, the AmaZulu coach believes there are still several areas that need attention.

Speaking after the defeat, Zwane explained that his players failed to make the right decisions in the final third, particularly when they managed to get into promising attacking positions.

He felt AmaZulu could have created more goalscoring opportunities if they had been better with their final passes and deliveries into dangerous areas. He also pointed out that players such as Pule Ekstein, Omega Mdaka and Riaan Hanamub had found themselves in good positions but failed to make the most of those situations.

Zwane believes getting into attacking positions is not enough if the team cannot identify the right pass or find a teammate who can finish the opportunity.

The coach also explained that AmaZulu sometimes become too excited when they are controlling matches. According to him, opponents tend to sit deeper and defend in numbers when Usuthu are dominating possession, making it important for his players to remain patient and make better decisions.

He admitted that his team had the opportunity to take control of the match against Stellenbosch but failed to protect their advantage.

Zwane also suggested that his defenders could have handled the situation leading to the late penalty differently, pointing out that they had opportunities to prevent the opposition from benefiting from the incident.

"We had this game in our hands, and then we let it slip," Zwane admitted.

The AmaZulu coach accepted that his players had themselves to blame and explained that they would have to learn from the disappointment, even if the lesson came through a painful defeat.

Despite the cup exit, Zwane will now be hoping his team can return to their previous form and continue building on the progress they have made this season. Their next challenge will be to show that the defeat against Stellenbosch was a temporary setback rather than the beginning of another difficult period.

Source: IDiskiTimes