Da Cruz says regular talks with Kaizer Motaung Jr. are key to Chiefs project

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando Da Cruz says he holds regular meetings with sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jr. to assess the team and discuss how the club’s project can be improved.

The comments came after Chiefs issued a statement reaffirming their “absolute backing” for the technical team following their disappointing exit from the CAF Confederation Cup.

Da Cruz’s side responded with a 3-0 victory over TS Galaxy in the Last 16 of the Carling Knockout at FNB Stadium on Tuesday.

Speaking at his post-match press conference, the Frenchman welcomed the public support from the club’s sporting director and board.

“First of all, I’d like to thank the club for the message they sent on social media, whether it was the Sporting Director or the club’s board. I’d like to thank the Sporting Director and the entire board for the statement they made,” Da Cruz said.

He also described the communication within the club as important to the team’s day-to-day work, revealing that he meets Motaung Jr. every two or three weeks.

“We have a very clear structure within the club, where I regularly meet with the Sporting Director. Every two or three weeks, we have a meeting to discuss the situation of the team and the club’s project,” he explained.

Da Cruz said the backing from the club gave the technical staff confidence, regardless of the result in an individual match.

“It’s very important to have the confidence they have given us for the daily work that we do. Whether we win, draw or lose, we always need to analyse the situation properly. In our meetings, we always speak about how to improve the team every day.

“Today, I’m not a better coach than I was last week just because we were eliminated from the CAF,” he said.

The Chiefs coach argued that the team’s recent difficulties needed to be considered in context, pointing to missed opportunities in some draws and a number of contact injuries within the squad.

“When we analyse the situation, we can say that we were unlucky because, in some of the draws we had, we deserved to win. We have also been unlucky with injuries, because we have a lot of players who have suffered contact injuries,” Da Cruz added.

The statement from the club’s hierarchy provided encouragement to the coaching staff and players as Chiefs prepare to return to domestic action.

Their next fixture is the Soweto Derby against Orlando Pirates at FNB Stadium on Saturday, with kick-off scheduled for 15:00.