Da Cruz says Kaizer Chiefs still have ground to make up on Mamelodi Sundowns

Kaizer Chiefs coach Fernando Da Cruz says his side cannot yet be compared with Mamelodi Sundowns, despite their 1-1 draw in the Betway Premiership at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

The result gave Da Cruz an opportunity to assess how far his newly assembled team have progressed since he took charge at the start of the 2026/27 season. Chiefs have made a steady opening to their league campaign, winning two and drawing one of their first three matches.

Their only defeat so far came against Golden Arrows in the MTN8 quarter-finals.

Da Cruz has inherited a squad undergoing significant changes as Kaizer Chiefs attempt to build a team capable of competing for major honours. The coach said the circumstances surrounding the match against Sundowns forced him to make tactical adjustments, particularly because of injuries within his squad.

“First of all, we set up this structure because we have injured players, so in two days, we needed to find a solution,” Da Cruz told the media.

The coach also explained that his team had to limit the space available to Sundowns, who he believes can punish opponents if allowed to play freely.

“Second thing, like I have already said, if you let too much space to Sundowns, they can kill us. So we needed to control space in front of us, but also behind us.

“But in this system, we prepare our team to be able to attack, but we were not very good in possession in the first half, but it was better in the second half.”

Chiefs showed improvement after the interval, but Da Cruz acknowledged that they remain some distance behind the reigning standard set by Sundowns.

He said the key difference between the teams was the amount of time their players have spent developing an understanding with one another. While Sundowns have retained a settled core for several years, Chiefs have only been working together for approximately six weeks.

“The last thing, if we want to compare Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs, we can’t compare because on one side we have Sundowns players who have been playing together for six or seven years,” he added.

“And here we are at Kaizer Chiefs, we have been together for a month and a half. We are making a good start to the championship, but we still have a lot of work to do.

“We have to stay calm and quiet, we still have a lot of work to do step by step and work a lot more, especially in the offensive areas.”

The draw kept Chiefs’ promising start on course, but Da Cruz’s assessment underlined that the club’s rebuilding process is still in its early stages. His immediate focus is on improving the team’s attacking play while allowing the squad time to develop greater cohesion.

For now, Da Cruz believes patience will be essential as Kaizer Chiefs continue to adjust to a new technical approach and a substantially changed squad.