Da Cruz urges Kaizer Chiefs to stay positive after Soweto Derby defeat

Kaizer Chiefs coach Fernando da Cruz says there is no reason for his side to panic despite their 2-1 defeat by Orlando Pirates in Saturday’s Soweto Derby.

The tightly contested match was played in front of a sold-out FNB Stadium as the new season began to take shape. The result left Chiefs 11 points behind their arch-rivals and 12 points adrift of league leaders Mamelodi Sundowns after 10 matches.

Chiefs made the stronger start and created several promising opportunities before half-time, but they were unable to convert their dominance into goals. Abdeslam Ouaddou’s side improved after the interval and eventually secured the victory and local bragging rights.

Da Cruz acknowledged that the defeat had made the challenge more difficult, but stressed that there was still plenty of time for Chiefs to recover in the league.

“It is more difficult after this game, but the PSL is a long journey; there are 21 fixtures remaining,” he told the media.

The coach also pointed to injuries as a factor behind Chiefs’ inconsistent form. He believes the team will be able to produce more reliable performances once more members of the squad return to fitness.

“When we recover our injured players, because we were unlucky since the beginning of the season, I think that we will have more consistency in our performance because we have had a lot of draws since the beginning of the season,” Da Cruz said.

He felt Chiefs had done enough to take something from the derby but were punished by a lack of experience.

“But, normally a lot of draws, normally we deserved to win this game, but because of our lack of experience, we didn’t win this game, but it will turn on our side when we will recover all our squad.”

Da Cruz said a short run of victories could help change the team’s momentum, while insisting that the squad must maintain its focus.

“One moment, we must have some positive dynamic with some victory in a row to continue on this journey, but we must continue, and we must keep a positive mindset.”

Chiefs will now switch their attention to the Carling Knockout. They meet Siwelele FC in the quarter-final at FNB Stadium on November 6.

Their next league fixture will come later in the month, when they travel to face Chippa United as they attempt to reduce the gap to the leading sides.