THE SIGNS of things unraveling in Kaizer Chiefs do not mean that their coaches are about to soften their hand and allow the players to do what they want because they know the pain of being pressured and not getting good results.
Although the Chiefs’ victory over the Galaxy was the first in the last five years in all competitions, one of the assistant coaches, Cedric Kaze, was preaching the gospel of not being puffed up as it seems the results have turned around.
The Chiefs’ win over the Galaxy was the fourth in a row in the league and brought them closer to their dream of returning to the Caf Confederation Cup, which they came out of in the group games this season.
“The time we’re in and the feeling we’re feeling is forcing us not to be complacent in what we’re doing because it’s obvious that it’s bearing fruit,” said Kaze to the media after the game.
“What we will do is strengthen our hand even more to the players with the aim of removing from them the idea that things are ready because there is still a long way to go before the end of the season,” he continued.
There were times when Chiefs looked like they were going backwards which was highlighted by the four results they got in a row in competitions including the Betway Premiership and missing out on the Confed Cup.
All this happened at the same time that Chiefs came out early in the morning from the Nedbank Cup which they were defending since the famine of years of missing out on cups ended last season.
Recently, Amakhosi are third in the log with 42 points in 22 games showing signs of progress in the league.
What is clear about this is the return of the form of the players who came to it with a lot of enthusiasm like Siphesihle Ndlovu and Lebohang Maboe.
The team is helped by the popularity of young players in South African football and by increasing the form of Mfundo Vilakazi who is used as a tool to worry the opponents, Aden McCarthy and Bradley Cross who both show signs of growth in all the games they are a part of.
The return of Brandon Petersen, who continues where he left off by denying goals, should increase the confidence of the Chiefs even more in the remaining eight games before the end of the season.
“Everything is good these days but it doesn’t mean that we have to be humble because we know the difficulty of the league we are in and the pain of being denied results,” said Kaze.
Chiefs return to the field on Wednesday when they will visit Magesi FC at 7.30pm, at Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane.