AMAKHOSI ON THE WAR PATH
They might not be playing the prettiest football but they’re winning
KAIZER Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp is not fazed by his team not playing ‘pretty’ football on a consistent basis, admitting he’s pleased that they are grinding out much-needed results.
In their bid to win the Premiership title, Chiefs have gone about their business smartly instead of being flashy and pretty.
Amakhosi have won 13 league matches while drawing two and losing two, as they sit atop the standings with 41 points – nine ahead of champions Mamelodi Sundowns in second place.
In their last two matches, where they defeated Highlands Park and Cape Town City by 3-0 margins, the Glamour Boys rarely hit top gear but instead they had enough mettle to get over the line with victories that consolidated their place at the summit.
“I see it a bit differently because you’d be surprised that our best game was against SuperSport United in terms of dominance,
MIHLALI BALEKA
opportunities. (But) we conceded an offside goal and we lost 2-1,” Middendorp said.
“I think the most important thing is how you manage and come out of the game. We made it clear that we didn’t have a lot of stuff to criticise but we just had to go into it. Players sometimes are surprised. It is not always the results that tell you what happened on the field.”
Having the ability to get the results they want despite not being at their best has given them the confidence to believe they can sweep past any foes they cross paths with this season.
Such was the case when they pulled off famous victories over Sundowns and Orlando Pirates away and at home in the first half of the season.
They will need the same mentality in the gruelling second half of season, especially with the rest of the 13 teams also fighting for a specific cause – either for the championship, a top-eight finish or survival.
“If you sit in a certain position and want to achieve something in the end, there’s a lot of confidence. This is particular with the teams on the second half (of the log standings) that shouldn’t be there,” Middendorp said.
“But sometimes you wonder what’s going on and happening. Performance related, probably, are not good but the final product and finishing (they are good). Then this becomes a piece of confidence with how the players are doing it. If you sit there, manage the game and win the three points, that’s good for the next game.”
Following their back-to-back home wins, Chiefs will be hoping to continue with the momentum away from home when they travel north to face Black Leopards at Thohoyandou Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
And while Chiefs have cracked the whip on stronger opposition, it is teams such as Leopards, who are fighting for survival as they languish at the foot of the table, that will test their mental endurance as runaway favourites for the league title.
Middendorp is aware of what’s at stake and why it’s important to bag maximum points against Lidoda Duvha, even if it’s with a smash-andgrab performance.
“They’ve lost three games in a row and I’m 100 percent convinced that when you go to Venda, don’t expect a good game but it is about really making it happen and doing the basics right, starting on the oneon-one duels,” he said.