I don’t remember any Kaizer Chiefs coach having this much
fun while at the same time being under this much pressure.
When they talk about a man with nerves of steel, they
probably had Giovanni Solinas in mind.
The Italian has been in charge for a total of 11 matches,
and it’s quite possibly the best time of his life as a coach.
And why shouldn’t he be on cloud nine? Think about it. About
a year ago, at least when one considers the 12 months that is unaccounted for
in his CV, Solinas was unemployed.
It appears he had not taken full advantage of his
opportunities in Saudi Arabia
and here in South Africa
from his two spells with Free State Stars.
I imagine when he got the call to pack his bags and head
straight to Naturena to lead one of the continent’s biggest clubs, he took the
first flight out of oblivion.
By many accounts, it was an underwhelming appointment.
Chiefs had since the end of April to replace Steve Komphela
following his resignation, but their preferred targets proved so elusive that
Solinas was the only available candidate on the eve of pre-season.
As a result, the slow and poor start was expected, taking
the coach five matches to manage his first Absa Premiership win.
Now that he has finally got that monkey off his back,
Solinas is proving to be the eccentric coach that Amakhosi haven’t had in a
while.
Vladimir Vermezovic, who was the Chiefs coach between 2009
and 2012, comes close, but the Serbian was a little loco than
unconventional.
Solinas’ brave side has been in full view over the last week
or so – launched into the wild soon after that first league victory, which came
away to Cape Town
City in an emphatic 4-1
triumph that remains among the best Chiefs performances of the season so far.
A lot of coaches in his shoes would want to build momentum,
keep pretty much the same team and consolidate in an effort to catch up to
their rivals, given the tepid start to the campaign.
But not Solinas.
It’s now well-documented that the Amakhosi mentor rang as
many as seven changes in the next fixture at Goble Park
and still got the three points.
AmaZulu coach Cavin Johnson had also made the trip to Bethlehem to watch Chiefs
against Free State Stars as part of his preparation for his side’s visit to FNB
Stadium a few days later.
But the fact that they, too, were taken apart by the Solinas
machine suggests he was thrown off by the Italian’s game plan.
Even in that home game, the Chiefs coach made another six
changes, restoring the ‘regulars’ back into the starting line-up and ensuring
Amakhosi won a third successive match to remain just a point behind log leaders
Orlando Pirates.
A colleague remarked that perhaps Solinas is enjoying this
dream job so much he is hell-bent on taking as many risks as possible to not
ever have any regrets.
I pity Highlands
Park coach Owen da Gama ,because
he is the next coach who has to figure out if Solinas in fact has his starting XI
nailed yet.
For all we know, there could be eight changes to the team
that beat AmaZulu, with only goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, midfield hardman
Willard Katsande and Solinas’ blue-eyed boy Khama Billiat as survivors.
But while this really is a breath of fresh air, whether it
ends in tears of incredible success is another debate.
The truth is, after the calmness and measure of Komphela
over the last three years, Chiefs needed a coach who is almost the exact
opposite.
✌️✌️ #HailTheChief #Amakhosi4Life pic.twitter.com/hCP8g1ULHW
— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) September 25, 2018