MaZulu COACH, Arthur Zwane, does not want his team to be disturbed by what other teams are doing in the Betway Premiership log as they strive to finish in a better place this season.
Although there is little chance that Usuthu will still be able to catch the best teams, Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates, they are still in contention to finish in third place, which is accompanied by a ticket to play in the Caf Confederation Cup next season.
A 1-1 draw with Siwelele FC in Bloemfontein on Saturday left AmaZulu in fourth place with 39 points from 24 games.
They are three points behind Kaizer Chiefs, who have played 22 games, and are one point behind Sekhukhune, who have also played 24 games.
“As we set goals to achieve as a team, we must focus on ourselves, and look at the games as they come. We are not focused on other people and what other teams are doing. We do not want to rely on others, we need to do what will help us achieve what we want to achieve,” said Zwane.
“We are not worried about what is happening. We paid attention to the fact that in the last two games we had opportunities to take three points but we did not do that.”
Although Usuthu has lost points in two consecutive games including the one they played at home against Sekhukhune United, which ended 2-2, Zwane said it will not help them to talk about finishing in third place as it would put pressure on his team, especially the players who are starting to play in the Premiership.
“Like any other team, we are determined to do good things. We want to participate in the African (Caf) games. If there is an opportunity, we should take it but we don’t want to put ourselves under pressure,” he said.
“We have young players in our team, who are still trying to establish themselves at this stage. That can be seen from the kind of opportunities we get but we don’t use them. I don’t want to put pressure on them because if I tell the media that we are definitely going to Africa, that will reach the fans, and it will create talk.
“When you work with young players you need to keep them humble. To be honest, the team did very well. We have six games left and it won’t be easy. In the next game we will go to Orlando, it won’t be easy either, there is no easy game.”
The Zulus will face the Pirates at the Orlando Amstel Arena, Saturday at 3 pm.