Marumo Gallants coach Ronnie Kanalelo has explained why winger Katlego Otladisa was substituted just 20 minutes into their Betway Premiership match against Orlando Pirates on Sunday.
Bahlabane Ba Ntwa suffered a 2-0 defeat at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, with Otladisa’s early withdrawal becoming one of the talking points of the match.
The winger did not appear to be carrying an injury when he was taken off, prompting questions over the decision.
Kanalelo revealed after the end of the match that the substitution was tactical, saying he was unhappy with Otladisa’s defensive contribution.
The coach pointed to several occasions when the winger lost possession and failed to react quickly enough to help the team defensively.
“I was not happy with his defensive behaviour, the reaction was actually not there,” said Kanalelo.
“He always reacted afterwards, there were moments where he lost the ball and he would switch off.
“And against a team like Pirates, we had two chances – one v one against the goalkeeper and before that we had the chance of Etemesi injili, we just [couldn’t use them].
“And against a quality team, you can’t do that. You need to take those chances when you get them.”