Miguel urges Kaizer Chiefs fans to judge team on style, not pre-season scorelines

Kaizer Chiefs defender Inacio Miguel has appealed to supporters to focus on the team’s evolving style of play rather than their mixed pre-season results in Spain.

Chiefs spent 10 days on a training camp in Europe, where they drew 1-1 with Scottish club Rangers FC, lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabian side Al-Kholood and then played out another 1-1 draw against Spanish outfit Elche CF.

The sequence of just two goals scored from three matches and only one defeat avoided prompted frustration among some fans, who felt the team should have delivered stronger results and offered greater encouragement ahead of the new campaign.

Miguel, however, underlined that the trip was primarily designed to embed the team’s structure and game model under their new coach, rather than to chase victories.

“I understand and appreciate that our fans want us to win, but those games were more about preparation, so we were more focused on how we played than the results, our strategy and adapting to the ideas of our new coach,” he said.

Focus on philosophy, not friendlies

Miguel stressed that the emphasis throughout the tour was on tactical cohesion, clarity of roles and implementing the coach’s philosophy, insisting that performance benchmarks carried more weight internally than the scorelines.

He described the matches against Rangers FC, Al-Kholood and Elche CF as opportunities to test different approaches and improve understanding within the squad, rather than as must-win fixtures.

According to the defender, the coaching team placed greater importance on how the players applied instructions under pressure and adjusted to new demands on the pitch.

“The technical staff was happy with the progress we made, and now we want to go out and implement it when the season begins,” Miguel added.

Chiefs now return from Spain aiming to translate those tactical lessons into competitive action when their Betway Premiership campaign gets under way, with Miguel confident that the work done in Europe will be reflected once the season starts.