Kaizer Chiefs’ Zitha Kwinika says new tactics are driving early-season progress

Kaizer Chiefs defender Zitha Kwinika believes the club have made clear progress under new coach Fernando da Cruz, with changes to their tactics and structure helping them begin the season strongly.

Da Cruz and his support staff took charge before the start of the campaign, replacing interim co-coaches Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze.

Amakhosi have won two of their opening three league matches and drawn the other. Their only setback so far came in the MTN8 quarter-final, where they were beaten by Golden Arrows.

Kwinika says the team are adapting well to Da Cruz’s methods and already look different from last season.

“The team is coping well with the new coaches. I think we have proven in the games we’ve played that we are a different team compared to last season. The style of play and the structure show that there’s improvement,” Kwinika said.

“There are new tactics and we are trying to get to a certain way of playing that we enjoy. We are getting better as a team.”

Chiefs will have the opportunity to build on that early momentum when they meet Richards Bay at Princess Magogo Stadium on Wednesday at 19:30.

The match will be their first since they held Mamelodi Sundowns to a 1-1 draw at FNB Stadium almost two weeks ago. Despite the quality of the opposition, Kwinika views the meeting with Richards Bay as the more significant fixture because of the importance of collecting points from matches such as this one.

The defender expects the Natal Rich Boyz to provide a difficult challenge but says Chiefs have prepared specifically for the contest and understand what they are likely to face.

“Bay are always difficult to play against. We respect them, but we have our plan. We know what to expect from them and, trust me, we’ve been preparing very well for them. This season we are on a different mission of saying the games where we need to collect points are games like this. We must win these games,” said Kwinika.

The pressure to turn promising performances into victories in key league fixtures reflects what Kwinika describes as a change in attitude within the squad.

“The attitude has changed. This is a big game for us … bigger than the previous one [against Sundowns] because these are very important points for us.”

The match against Richards Bay comes as Chiefs continue their adjustment to a new technical team and a different approach to the game. Kwinika believes the improvement shown in their opening fixtures is evidence that the players are responding to the changes and progressing towards the style of football Da Cruz wants them to play.

Click here to join Sowetan’s WhatsApp channel and get the latest news delivered to you on the move.