The Bucs were knocked out of the tournament following a 2-1 loss at Bidvest Stadium on Saturday night, despite taking the lead through an Oupa Manyisa penalty, with the Sea Robbers’ coach less than impressed with his backline thereafter.
“The defensive line was a bit problematic,” the Turk told reporters after the game. “We spoke about how we made so many fouls in areas where we played into Wits’ hands, so we need to stay away from those situations. But it’s a psychological thing: the battle has been played, and Wits played very well.”
Despite Felipe Ovono’s shaky performance, Ertugral stood by his choice of goalkeeper, yet was upset over his defenders’ inability to stick to the tactics he had prepared for his side prior to kick-off.
“It’s not only on the goalkeeper: we have clear organisation forms, but the players become afraid in one against one instead of closing in certain zones,” he said. “We knew exactly where the problems were: Thulani scored a similar goal tonight as against Chiefs – it was a clear situation that that was going to happen. We analysed this and told the players … but in the end, how much can you do?
“It’s about how you can handle the pressure on the field and play to the pattern we have spoken about, but we’ll work on it.”
Pirates will return their focus on League matters, with an away trip to Ajax Cape Town their next fixture on Tuesday, 13 September.