Kaizer Chiefs coach Fernando da Cruz unhappy despite win over Siwelele FC

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando da Cruz was left frustrated despite his side securing a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Siwelele FC at Dobsonville Stadium on Saturday night.

The result handed Amakhosi all three points, but the performance left Da Cruz far from satisfied, particularly with the defensive display and his team’s failure to make the most of their opportunities.

The French coach believes his side lacked the leadership, character and personality required to control the game, especially when dealing with pressure from their opponents.

“We lack leadership and character, personality in our defensive line – so we need to correct that and work a lot,” Da Cruz said after the match.

Kaizer Chiefs dominated large portions of the encounter and created several opportunities, but their inability to convert those chances kept Siwelele in the contest.

Da Cruz was particularly concerned by the contrast between the two halves. While his team created numerous opportunities before the break, Siwelele made the most of the limited openings they had after half-time.

“In the first half we created several chances but didn’t score enough. In the second half, Siwelele had two chances and scored two goals,” he added.

The Chiefs coach believes that pattern is an area that must be addressed quickly if his side are to compete consistently at the highest level.

“We have an issue about that, we need to improve our defence, not give these chances to opponents,” he said.

Da Cruz also admitted that his team’s problems extended beyond their defensive organisation, pointing to a lack of clinical finishing at both ends of the pitch.

“We created so much and didn’t score, so after you can make mistakes. We’re not clinical in the boxes, offensively and defensively.”

Despite his concerns, the victory gives Kaizer Chiefs valuable momentum and provides Da Cruz with three points to build on. However, the coach knows there is still plenty of work to do if his team are to turn narrow wins into more convincing performances.

The defensive lapses against Siwelele will be particularly concerning, with Da Cruz stressing the need for greater composure, leadership and concentration at the back.

While the scoreline ultimately favoured Chiefs, the manner of the victory appears to have reinforced Da Cruz’s belief that his team must improve significantly in both penalty areas.

For Amakhosi, the challenge now will be to take the positives from the win while addressing the weaknesses that almost allowed Siwelele to snatch something from the game.