Diogo Peral has six games to save Cape Town City's blushes and avoid a relegation battle. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
Diogo Peral has a strong bond with Cape Town City, having been at the club since it was founded by head honcho John Comitis in 2016. And that’s why he’s understandably pained to see the team enduring their worst-ever season in the top flight.
City are currently flirting with relegation, as they are 14th in the Betway Premiership standings with just 24 points from 24 matches. They’ve endured struggles this season, so much so that even the change in coaches – after sacking Erick Tinkler for Muhsin Ertugral – didn’t work.
Comitis has turned to Peral, one of his trusted lieutenants, recently to try and keep the team afloat until the end of the season.
Peral, who has held various positions within the team, particularly the assistant coach role, sat for his first match as a head coach on Sunday. His team produced a lukewarm result as they were held to a stalemate by an equally struggling SuperSport United at New Peter Mokaba Stadium.
Peral said he was happy with a point, but given the depth of his squad, he has backed them to do better in the last game, especially in the Mother City.
“I know what they’ve got and what they’re capable of. So, I would like to see their full potential. I know that we are running out of games,” Peral added.
“We went into pre-season with the squad, and we came back thinking that we were going to do well and compete. But now we are where we are. I do know what their full potential is, so we are going to just hang in there and hopefully, we are going to be able to do it at home.”
Peral will be on the firing line should the team dare get relegated and relinquish their elite status. That’s why he’s called on everyone to pull their weight.
“It’s a big responsibility for everyone, not just for me. None of us want to be in the NFD next season,” Peral said.
“We want the players to step up, which I thought they did today. It’s a big responsibility for the entire technical team. It’s not a one-man show.”
City were not only regarded as a Top 5 team coming into the season, but one of the teams that would challenge for honours, including the league. After all, Comitis and the board seemed to have put enough resources into the team – quality signings – for them to prevail.
Hence, the situation right now is not ideal.
“It is frustrating,” Peral conceded.
“We have analysed where it went wrong, and how we conceded many goals and didn’t score as many as we should have. So, hopefully, we can survive this rough patch, and there’ll be lessons learned going forward.”
City’s hopes for survival have also been boosted by the appointment of club legend Lebogang Manyama and experienced coach Roger de Sa as Peral’s assistants. De Sa is no stranger to SA football, having coached top-flight clubs such as the defunct Bidvest Wits, Orlando Pirates, and Ajax Cape Town.
And so, when he was available to help out in bolstering the team’s chances of survival, Peral was happy to have him on board.
“Roger has a lot of experience. He was in Cape Town and available. I have a really good relationship with him, and so does the club,” Peral said.
“So tapping into that experience was a no-brainer. When he agreed to come and help us out, it was a no-brainer. He’s been great!”