Posted in News on Feb 10, 2010.
“These young players are the future of Kaizer Chiefs and I felt that they deserved a chance against Arrows tonight,” said Vermezovic.
“I have to be satisfied with the way George Lebese and Mandla Masango played, particularly in the first half of the game where we gave Golden Arrows a lot of problems.
Games are always different from training sessions and I think they did well. They will see more game time in the next few weeks. Why not? I also feel that at this stage of the season it is important to give the younger players a chance in preparation for the next season,” said Vermezovic.
The Serbian added that the door is ‘definitely’ not closed for both Siphiwe Tshabalala and Reneilwe Letsholonyane, who are both in contention for places in the Bafana Bafana squad to play in the Fifa 2010 World Cup in June.
“Both Tshabalala and Yeye (Reneilwe Letsholonyane) are without a doubt top players, but whether they are going to play in the next game is up to them. It is very important that all the players give their best every time they pull on the jersey for the Club.
"I try to give all the players a fair chance and, depending on what they do at training, they might be back in the next game,” continued Vermezovic.
Vermezovic is aware that the game against Golden Arrows was a ‘must win’ in order to keep in touch with Absa Premiership leaders, SuperSport United and Mamelodi Sundowns.
“We attacked Golden Arrows from the first minute and really dominated in the first half. When we did get behind their defence we found it very difficult to beat their goalkeeper (Thulani Khuzwayo), who was on top of his game.
"During the second stanza things changed as Golden Arrows created lot of problems for us with their counter-attacks. We knew they were dangerous in this situation and this is how they beat Ajax Cape Town in the MTN Final last year.
"We have Arthur Bartman to thank for the draw as he pulled off some unbelievable saves tonight,”
“The goalless draw, in my opinion, is not a true reflection of the game as both teams played attacking football. A draw maybe a fair result, but if it was 3 all it would have been great for the fans. We have to go back to the drawing board in preparation for the upcoming game against Mpumalanga Black Aces.
"The draw tonight might have ruled out our chances to win the league, but there is still a lot to play for,” said the former Serbian international.