It’s all in the mind for Chiefs
KAIZER Chiefs veteran Bernard Parker is confident the Soweto club will shake off their mental block as they face struggling Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila at Peter Mokaba Stadium today.
Amakhosi have won just one out of their last five Premiership matches, and today's game against the relegation candidates provides them with a good opportunity to return to winning ways.
Chiefs can also take heart from the fact that they thrashed TTM 3-0 when the teams last met in January.
“Right now, what we do more of is mental preparation which will be key for us. It's coming along because we are showing the fighting spirit and we are showing the will. Our effort on the field of play is good. Here and there, we do make mistakes, hence the mental preparation has to be more important than our physical preparation because of we often give easy opportunities to our opponents,” said Parker.
Chiefs' lack of mental strength was again exposed last weekend as they threw away a 2-0 lead in their game against Bloemfontein Celtic before eventually playing out to a 2-2 draw.
While Chief's lack of mental strength is somewhat understandable, considering their transfer ban, it is something that coach Gavin Hunt will have to correct next season if he wants to build a team worthy of challenging for silverware.
Saturday's result marked an 11th draw of the season for Hunt's team who with eight league defeats, have also lost more games than they have won (six).
“We've taken a lot of positives out of the Celtic game. It is good that we do focus on the positives and let those aspects carry us into the next match. Going forward, we are well-aware of how our opponents play and (are) also well prepared,” said Parker.
Chiefs will be up against a TTM side that are fighting for their lives. Dylan Kerr's team enter the game two points adrift of 14th place Chippa United. A win for the home team could potentially take them out of the relegation zone, and taking into account Chiefs' inconsistency it would be realistic for TTM to target three points.
“We are aware of what is happening at this stage of the season where teams are fighting for certain positions. We are also fighting to finish in a respectable position. It will be a fight for us and a hard game. We are up for the challenge, showing spirit and unity. It is just up to us now to be up for the fight,” said Parker.