Miguel urges Kaizer Chiefs to take responsibility after run of poor results

Kaizer Chiefs captain Inacio Miguel says the players must accept responsibility for the club’s difficult spell and reject the suggestion that a language barrier is affecting their performances.

Amakhosi’s latest disappointment came in a defeat by Red Arrows in the first leg of the second preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup, increasing pressure ahead of Friday’s return fixture.

Questions have also been raised over Fernando Da Cruz’s influence since the head coach speaks French and uses his assistant to interpret when addressing the squad. Miguel, however, believes the players cannot point to communication difficulties as an explanation for their results.

“No, obviously not, football has something specific, the language of football is universal. You don’t even need to speak; football talks for itself,” Miguel told the media.

He said the players, rather than the coaching staff, carried the responsibility once they crossed the touchline.

“It’s very easy to judge coaches and to judge staff, but in the end of the day it’s us players that we are on the field, It’s our responsibility, my responsibility, starting from me.

“You can bring [Jose] Mourinho, you can bring [Pep] Guardiola, [but] if us players don’t fight, if we don’t have the commitment on the pitch, it doesn’t matter if the coach speak Chinese or Japanese or Portuguese because in the end of the day, it’s our actions that actually demands result in the pitch.”

Miguel says Chiefs understand Da Cruz’s plan

The Portuguese centre-back also rejected the idea that Da Cruz’s instructions were unclear, insisting that the squad needed to be honest about its own contribution instead of searching for reasons outside the team.

“So for me, there is no barrier between the coach and the players. Everything is very clear, it’s just a matter of us changing the behaviour and being honest with ourselves that we’re not good enough. We’re not doing good enough,” he said.

“So I’m not here to find excuses, that thing for me the barrier language is just an excuse for something that is not working.

“We have to do better and period, there is no barrier between us and the coaches in terms of understanding what’s the game plan, what’s the ideas of the coach. It’s very clear,” he added.

Miguel said he would begin by demanding more from himself before challenging his team-mates to raise their standards.

“It’s up on us. It’s up to me, starting from me, I have to talk to myself and say Miguel you have to do better you’re not doing enough and passing that to my teammates, passing that to everyone that, ‘come on gents, we have to do better.’”

He remains hopeful that the current problems are temporary.

“We can do better. We have done better. So it’s just a phase. I hope that it will pass and starting from tomorrow [Friday].”

Kaizer Chiefs will host Red Arrows at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Friday at 18:00, with a place in the next stage of the CAF Confederation Cup at stake in the second leg of their second preliminary round tie.