Da Cruz urges Kaizer Chiefs to turn promising performances into victories

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando Da Cruz has urged his young players to raise their standards after their Soweto Derby defeat by Orlando Pirates, while stressing that development and experience will take time.

Speaking at his post-match news conference, the Portuguese coach said the loss should provide a valuable lesson for a squad still learning what is required to succeed at the highest level.

Da Cruz praised the way his side performed, particularly in the opening 45 minutes, but warned that controlling matches and playing attractive football would not be enough unless Kaizer Chiefs could convert those qualities into results.

“We must use this type of game to grow up and to reach the next steps,” he said. “But the players must understand that we play well, we make good things, but it’s not enough. We must reach the next steps now.”

His comments underlined the balance Da Cruz is trying to maintain at one of South Africa’s biggest clubs: allowing a developing team time to mature while demanding immediate progress.

The coach said the process could not be accelerated, with maturity built through regular training and exposure to matches across different levels of competition.

“So we must continue to work, but it takes time. It’s not overnight that we can change directly the things,” Da Cruz added. “We cannot get experience from one day to the next day. It’s thanks to training, to many games, and we must continue to learn. With competitions of different levels.”

Kaizer Chiefs’ youth-focused development strategy means the squad will inevitably face growing pains, according to Da Cruz. He acknowledged that his players still have weaknesses when it comes to experience and maturity, but remained pleased with their contribution against Orlando Pirates.

“We have shortcomings in terms of maturity and experience, but I am very proud of the players and what they have shown today,” he said.

Da Cruz was especially impressed by the first-half display, describing it as a masterclass in controlling the contest.

“It’s really the first half. For me, it was a masterclass in controlling the game,” he said. “When you analyse the first half, for him, it was a masterclass against this team in this game.”

Despite the defeat, the Kaizer Chiefs manager ended by congratulating his players for the way they competed and for their ability to keep possession against their Soweto rivals.

“So one more time, we want to congratulate the players and he is very proud of what they made today,” Da Cruz said. “Against this team, we were able to control the game and the ball.”

The message to the squad was therefore one of patience, but not complacency: improvement is expected to continue, and the next step must be turning strong performances into wins.