Solinas was on course to take Amakhosi to their first cup final since 2015, as well as his first as a coach in South Africa, as they held an away-goal advantage over Matsatsantsa in the MTN8 semi-final second leg.
However, the Italian tactician opted instead for a defensive approach as he fielded holding midfielders Wiseman Meyiwa and Willard Katsande, and ultimately paid the price as Chiefs were knocked out with a 1-0 defeat at the FNB Stadium on Saturday evening.
Despite insisting that Amakhosi would play 'attacking football' in the build-up to the clash, Solinas clarified the thinking behind his line-up selection.
“It’s because our idea was to provide much better cover for our central midfield, so we chose Wiseman to help Katsande in his defensive job,” said Solinas.
“Because SuperSport were playing with three in the middle we wanted to apply pressure on their midfield, so this is why we played Wiseman.
“We started with this idea also to protect our defenders with two defensive midfielders, and we put Ntshangase more forward like a number 10 in order to give good passes and assists for the strikers.
“But in the first half this idea didn’t work, because in the first half our combination was not positive. In the second half we improved and played much better.”
The former Free State Stars mentor also rued the goal conceded and reiterated the disappointment of missing out on ending the club’s three-year trophy drought, which the supporters have been eagerly anticipating.
“It’s a pity that we conceded the goal, which was disappointing because everyone in the Chiefs family wanted this final. We needed this final,” he added.
“I’m disappointed because we lost this game, and also the opportunity to win a trophy.”