Speaking after their goalless first-leg draw in the CAF Confederation Cup quarter-final against Zamalek, Steve Barker said he was surprised by the amount of possession they had against the Egyptian giants.
Zamalek are known for their possession-based game, but for large parts of the match at the DHL Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, it was Stellenbosch who had more of the ball.
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Barker, replying to a question from iDiski Times, said he was surprised by the situation, and adds that he is expecting a different Zamalek in next week’s second leg in Cairo.
“Yes, and yes,” Barker replied to iDiski Times.
“I was surprised that they sat back quite a lot to let us have the ball and move the ball. Half time, the stats were pretty even, the possession.
“I thought, the way they’ve been playing, in our analysis, they are a possession-based team. So, I was a little bit surprised. And hence, I think it gave our team that 15–20-minute period before halftime, we started moving the ball on. And yes, to the second answer.
“I do believe at home, they going to want to play more. Not sure what the coach will tell them, but I think the fans will demand that they try and dominate the game better and have more possession of the ball, which may not be the worst thing (for us).”
