PSL: Da Cruz urges Kaizer Chiefs to stay positive despite 12-point title gap

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando da Cruz has urged his players to maintain a positive mindset as they attempt to revive their Betway Premiership title ambitions despite falling 12 points behind league leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.

The Glamour Boys have struggled for consistency this season, with a series of draws costing them valuable points in their pursuit of the league title.

Their latest setback has further complicated their challenge, but Da Cruz remains optimistic that his side can close the gap, insisting there is still enough time to turn their campaign around with 21 matches remaining.

The French tactician believes injuries have played a significant role in Chiefs’ inconsistent performances and is confident that the return of key players will strengthen the squad and improve their chances of putting together a winning run.

Speaking after his side’s latest disappointment, Da Cruz admitted that the title race had become more difficult but stressed that the length of the season meant they could not afford to give up.

“It’s more difficult today [Saturday] after this game, but the PSL is a long journey, there are 21 fixtures remaining. When we recover our injured players, where we have been unlucky since the beginning of the season, we will have more consistency in our performances, because we made a lot of draws this season,” he said.

Da Cruz also suggested that Chiefs could have collected more victories from their drawn matches, blaming a lack of experience for their inability to turn promising performances into maximum points.

He believes the situation can improve once his squad returns to full strength, although he acknowledges that the team must begin producing a consistent run of victories to remain competitive.

“Normally, many draws, we deserved to win these games but because of our lack of experience, we didn’t win these games. But we will turn it on our side when we recover our squad and for sure, in one moment we must have some positive dynamic with a few wins in a row to continue this journey. We must keep a positive mindset,” he added.

With 21 league fixtures still to play, Chiefs have an opportunity to improve their position, but further dropped points could make their title challenge increasingly difficult.

Da Cruz is therefore counting on the return of injured players and an improved run of form as the Soweto giants seek to close the gap on the teams above them and keep their hopes of winning the Premiership alive.