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Bartlett 'expected more' from PSL clubs

Cape Town - Former Bafana Bafana striker Shaun Bartlett says he was disappointed with the performances of the two South African sides – SuperSport United and Ajax Cape Town – at this weekend’s Cape Town Cup.

The tournament saw both PSL sides knocked out at the semi-final stage. SuperSport could not recover from going 4-0 down to English Premier League outfit Crystal Palace inside the opening 32 minutes while Ajax Cape Town drew 2-2 with Portugal’s Sporting Lisbon before going out on penalties.

Bartlett, who was working as a commentator during the two-day tournament, says that he expected more from the local sides.

“Everyone when they talk about England thinks about the physicality, but it was the basics that they (Palace) did a lot better,” Bartlett told Sport24 on Monday in reviewing the Cape Town Cup.

“The passing, the shooting on target ... and those are things that they do on a regular basis through a lot of repetition so they become more comfortable with doing things when it comes to game situations.

“They also handled the weather, the slippery conditions a lot better. But we should be able to play in all types of conditions. Those shouldn’t be things that affect us.

“Having a home ground advantage as well, I expected a little bit more from the South African teams as far as competing is concerned.”

Bartlett, who enjoyed a career in England with Charlton Athletic, said he could not say what league the PSL clubs would be most at home in if they were to play in England.

“It is so difficult to compare PSL clubs to clubs abroad,” he said.

“There is a massive difference. You can’t just off-hand say ‘I think we’re as good as the Championship’. The reality is that there are good teams and average teams (in the PSL).” 

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