Cape Town City 2021/22 Preview – Transfers, Tinkler And Player Of The Season

After five seasons since their formation, City have achieved great things but have also had a very inconsistent last couple of seasons. Benni McCarthy was sacked after some poor results and disagreements over transfers. Jan Olde Riekerink needed a superb late-season run to avoid a relegation battle. He too was sacked after around 1.5 seasons in charge with the Dutchman unable to sort out the defence. What does this season hold for the returning Eric Tinkler?

Recruitment

A year down the line and City still haven’t replaced Roland Putsche and Kermit Erasmus. Goalkeeper, Peter Leeuwenburgh departed the club and Darren Keet looked like a very shrewd replacement, but he is out for six months with a quad injury. Hugo Marques was therefore signed on short notice to beef up the goalkeeping department and already looks like a solid addition.

The defence sees Edmilson Dove return from long-term injury (if he can reach his previous level) and Patrick Fisher is a very talented young fullback from the Ajax Cape Town academy. Khanyisa Mayo played as a false nine in the MTN8 and looks a big talent but the other additions are going to be squad players at best. City’s record with signing African foreigners has been dire at times with a laundry list of flops so don’t be shocked if that continues.

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The biggest issue is that Tinkler hasn’t managed to find a reliable striker. Justin Shonga was always going to fail knowing his lifestyle issues and Tashreeq Morris is probably a number two striker at PSL level at best. Fagrie Lakay could be the answer if he could stay fit and away from off-field distractions – that doesn’t look likely in the short- term.

A focal point like Bongi Ntuli, Knox Mutizwa or Mwape Musonda could have been a wise compromise to the playing style to guarantee the ball hits the back of the net after City’s flowing attacks. They only scored in one of their final five league matches saw last season and have to avoid the old “Arsenal syndrome” of dominating teams but not being able to finish chances.

Probably the biggest plus has been retaining Taariq Fielies and Thabo Nodada amid interest from Gauteng-based clubs. One foreigner who could be set to really explode is Abdul Ajagun who excelled in preseason at number ten and scored five goals in 460 minutes for City last season.

From Riekerink To Tinkler

Dutch coach Jan Olde Riekerink had a mixed first few months at City after replacing Benni McCarthy as the side sat just four points off relegation in the 2019-20 season before a superb run of six wins in the final eight matches. That run brought optimism ahead of last season and an opening eight matches with just one defeat (W4, D3) had people pondering a title challenge.

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However, an eight match winless run from late January to early May saw the side in danger of missing out on a top eight finish. Doubts had clearly crept into the minds of the management because even three wins in a row with eight goals scored against SuperSport United (3-0), Kaizer Chiefs (2-1) and TTM (3-0) wasn’t even to save Riekerink after AmaZulu humiliated City 5-1 at home. A 1-0 loss at TS Galaxy after that saw the plug pulled.

At the time of the Dutch coach’s departure, City were the league’s top scorers but had the second worst defensive record – the same old story for the league’s most entertaining side. Tinkler is far less idealistic than those who have come after him and favours positional structure without the ball. He is willing to be pragmatic and work in training to stop opposition strengths. To do this, he has brought on board performance analyst Paul Lamb, who he worked with at Maritzburg United. Expect City to be good to watch with all their ball-players in midfield but a little savvier defensively.

Lack Of Depth

City’s squad has some excellent players down the spine of the defence and midfield. When together, Fielies and Abbubaker Mobara are a very good pairing and two of the best ground defenders in the league. Perhaps the weakness comes in the fact that Terrence Mashego can still be exploited defensively (despite being a weapon going forward) and there isn’t a genuine defensive midfielder since Putsche departed. Thami Mkhize and Bradley Ralani are 33 years old, Thato Mokeke is 31 and Mpho Makola is 35.

The squad has a plethora of number eights and attacking midfielders but may be slightly short of depth on the flanks if Ralani got injured. Mayo is talented but young and Craig Martin does not consistently produce an end product. The lack of a striker is a big deal and there isn’t a clear solution in the squad. Tinkler may need to be inventive to eke out goals from that area – he could use a false nine or Martin could play upfront when leading to stretch teams with his pace. The most important thing is avoiding injuries because if you took away 3-4 of the starting XI in any position except attacking midfield, the results could go into freefall.

Verdict

It’s almost certain that City won’t be title challenges but Tinkler is more likely to avoid the long runs of dire form and winless streaks of the past. The defensive record should improve to around mid-table level instead of being amongst the worst for the umpteenth season in a row. There are only two domestic cup competitions up for grabs but that looks the best shot at silverware. This season feels like one where City are going to both try to maximise the last legs of Ralani, Makola and Mkhize but also need to start building a team for the future too.

Best Possible Finish: THIRD

Worst Possible Finish: SEVENTH