SuperSport
United are in constant evolution. Gavin Hunt’s enduring successes are
simultaneously based on consistency and the need to adapt, every year, to the
changes.
One
of the key reasons why United apparently do so well in the second half of the
season is because they are better than anyone else at planning for the whole
season, and because they can learn and adapt quicker than anyone else.
It’s
rarely a very visible change, but it’s usually effective. United have developed
a clear way of playing in the last few years, going about their business in
second gear as everyone around them flounders, picking up the pace only when
threatened, and generally taking things up a notch after January to build on
their endurance and experience advantages. It’s time to acknowledge that this
method has brought them some excellent results.
The
system is not perfect - and for a brief period at the start of last season, it
seemed that United had found their attacking groove. But that was merely a test
run, a show of force as they honed their tactics to play ‘slow, slow, fast’ the
whole season.
Keeping
the same strategy as last season (meaning the players are more experienced and
getting better at it), signing a player that, in hindsight, is the right person
to ‘fix’ their approach. Kermit Erasmus and Sibusiso Zuma are serious goal
scoring threats that in turn allows them to play defensively most of the game.
In
Gavin Hunt SuperSport United have the right manager for every season.
By Lucas Mogale
