Da Cruz wants Kaizer Chiefs to win while playing his way

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando Da Cruz says his side must combine results with an attractive style of football after Wednesday evening’s 2-0 victory over Sekhukhune United.

Da Cruz, who has been working with the squad for around a month and a half, said the immediate priority was to establish his approach while ensuring Kaizer Chiefs continue collecting important points.

Asked whether playing well or winning was more important at this stage, the coach, speaking through a translator, said he did not want to choose between the two objectives.

“It’s a bit of both. The idea is to produce the game. We’ve been working together for a month and a half now. Compared to other teams that have been playing together for several years, we’re a long way behind. But that’s what we’re working on.”

He also stressed the importance of results in helping the team build confidence and momentum.

“But it’s also important to win games because the positive dynamic is created through the results.”

The victory over Sekhukhune United came despite a performance Da Cruz acknowledged was not consistently fluent. He felt the match developed cautiously, with both teams initially reluctant to commit players forward and instead waiting for the other side to reveal its shape.

The French coach said he challenged his players to be more adventurous after the break, particularly because space was available for them to exploit.

“It was more of a game where each team was waiting for the other team’s position. Then, in the second half, I asked them to play a little more forward because we had space. In the first half, we didn’t dare.”

Da Cruz believed that change produced a more effective display in the second half, although he accepted that Kaizer Chiefs did not sustain that level throughout the match.

“That’s what we did in the second half, with success. I don’t think we did it all the time. But in the second half, we had some interesting sequences where we created in the game.”

The result was particularly pleasing for Da Cruz because he had been forced to rotate his squad during a demanding spell of fixtures. Kaizer Chiefs played three matches in six days, requiring changes to the starting line-up and placing greater demands on the wider group.

The coach praised the players for maintaining their focus and believes the team deserved the three points against Sekhukhune United.

“I’m very happy with the group’s win because we had to switch players because we played three games in six days. But I’m happy because I think we deserved to win.”