Chiefs make mental shift

Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban had become Kaizer Chiefs’ second home – and to some extent a fortress – until two incidents that happened in Nedbank Cup games at the same venue that left Amakhosi with egg on their face.

The incidents have made the team’s return to the venue – where they get a full house every time – a nervous business. Chiefs decided to play their first home game of the new Absa Premiership campaign at Moses Mabhida where they meet a wounded Black Leopards side this evening.

Amakhosi defender Lorenzo Gordinho (above) believes the team has refreshed and ready to make new and enjoyable memories for their supporters who he credited with encouraging the team to keep trying despite turbulent times of the past four seasons.

“When I came back before the end of the season a lot of things were not going well at Naturena … especially after the Nedbank Cup final defeat,” said Gordinho this week.

“But after the offseason the mentality has changed a lot. The team has grown. We have become stronger. We have become a unit and we understand what we did wrong last season and how we can rectify it.

“Everyone is ready to fight this season. Everyone is willing to fight in every minute of every game. Even at training we are fighting for positions,” he added.

Their fighting spirit is not easy to dispute after they managed to come back from 2-1 down against Highlands Park at Makhulong Stadium to win 3-2 under strenuous conditions. This is what makes Gordinho believe the team will have better fortunes in their campaign this season.

“During our preseason preparations we worked on that aspect mentally; to understand that it is heavy pressure but it shouldn’t weight us down on the field.”

Kick-off: 8.15pm.