Durban City hope new signings can end early-season scoring drought

Durban City manager Khalil Ben Youssef is counting on a series of new signings to improve his side’s finishing after they scored only once in their opening three league matches.

That goal came from Richards Bay defender Thembela Sikhakhane, who turned the ball into his own net during Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Chatsworth Stadium. City are still waiting for one of their own players to find the net in the league this season.

Ben Youssef, however, does not believe a lack of attacking ambition is behind the problem. The Nedbank Cup winners have created a number of chances, but have been unable to convert them.

“We create a lot of opportunities like last game and this game. If you see the expected goals, I think more than 2.5,” Ben Youssef said.

“So we need to be more focused in the box. We need to continue to work on our finishing and we need to be more decisive and we need more efficiency in the box.”

City have already announced the arrivals of midfielder Ethan Brooks and left-back Alou Doumbia. Doumbia has been registered and is available for selection, while Brooks has trained with the squad and will provide additional depth in midfield.

Ben Youssef also confirmed that the club have signed two or three more players, although he did not reveal their identities. He expects those additions to give City more options in the attacking third.

“There are two or three players that we signed with us, so when they will be able to play they will give us more solutions,” he said.

“And I think when they will be ready to play with us, they will give us more support in the last third and in front of the box.”

The need for reinforcements has been underlined by a demanding start to the campaign. City played 120 minutes against Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 before facing Golden Arrows and Richards Bay in successive local derbies during the same week.

They opened their league campaign with a 1-0 defeat by Sekhukhune United and subsequently shared the spoils with both neighbours Golden Arrows and Richards Bay during a punishing run of fixtures in which goals proved difficult to find.

Ben Youssef said the limited size of his squad had made it difficult to rotate players and manage the physical demands of the schedule.

“Normally we need to rotate but unfortunately we are not like the other coaches with big squads, so today they were complaining about the number of games,” he said.

“So what choice do we have if we don’t have the solution to rotate?”

The coach also dismissed the suggestion that City’s performances showed his players were struggling to understand his tactical instructions. He said they had controlled large spells of their matches against Richards Bay and Golden Arrows, creating enough opportunities to win both games.

“Two games we were controlling the game, creating a lot of opportunities and unlucky in the penalty box, we don’t score,” he said. “We need to continue to work in the box to score.”

City’s next league fixture is scheduled for 25 August, when the focus will again be on turning promising build-up play into goals. Ben Youssef hopes the expanding squad will provide the quality and freshness required to solve the team’s early-season scoring problems.

Seth Green was pictured attempting to head the ball ahead of Golden Arrows players. City shared the points with their neighbours and Richards Bay during the congested sequence of matches.

Image: BackpagePix