Da Cruz must look beyond inexperience after Chiefs’ Soweto derby defeat

Fernando da Cruz’s claim that inexperience cost Kaizer Chiefs in Saturday’s 1-2 Soweto derby defeat by Orlando Pirates is not supported by the teams’ starting line-ups.

Only one of the 11 Chiefs starters had been at the club for fewer than two seasons. That was Thabo Moloisane, a dependable international defender who joined from Stellenbosch at the start of this term.

Pirates, meanwhile, began with three midfielders making their derby debuts: Simphiwe Selepe, Thapelo Mokobodi and Simphiwe Masilela. Their left-back, Nkosikhona Ndaba, was also short of experience, having played only five minutes across the two derbies last season.

Da Cruz therefore cannot reasonably rely on inexperience as the main explanation. Chiefs have repeatedly found themselves in matches where they fail to take clear chances, and Saturday was another example. They had opportunities in the first half, with Wandile Duba’s close-range miss the most obvious, and were ultimately punished for not converting them.

On previous occasions, Chiefs escaped with a point from games in which their performances warranted three. This time they left South Africa’s biggest football fixture with nothing, their pride badly damaged after suffering their first league defeat of the season. The result also left them 11 points behind their rivals.

That does not make Da Cruz solely responsible. Injuries have deprived him of established players including Siphesihle Ndlovu, Thabiso Monyane and Langelihle Phili. However, his decision to leave Rushwin Dortley on the bench raised questions after the defender had returned from a lengthy injury lay-off in the previous week’s victory over TS Galaxy.

The replacement, Inacio Miguel, was sent off for the second time in Chiefs colours. He has also collected 21 cautions since joining the club in 2024.

Chiefs’ lack of cutting edge has been a persistent concern, yet Flavio da Silva, their leading scorer last season, was not introduced until the final 10 minutes. By then, Pirates manager Abdeslam Ouaddou had already responded to his own tactical error.

Ouaddou had initially used Deon Hotto in an unfamiliar right-wing position, but removed Ndaba, moved Hotto to left-back and brought Ghampani Lungu into the attacking line. Pirates were then able to introduce Bafana players Oswin Appollis and Evidence Makgopa while they had the momentum.

Da Cruz said he would put things right. “It takes time,” he reasoned. But Chiefs must show more than potential. They need to turn dominant performances and clear chances into victories, rather than settling for draws or suffering defeats.

Once Ouaddou made his adjustment, Pirates controlled a one-sided second half and should have scored more. Chiefs offered little response after Tshepang Moremi’s goal gave Pirates a 2-1 lead.

Da Cruz complained that the opening goal may have been offside and accused Pirates of “playing with 12 men”. But to understand why Chiefs are falling so clearly behind their rivals, he must examine more than injuries, players’ ages and available resources.