Kaizer Chiefs duo Gaston Sirino and Inacio Miguel have pinpointed a recurring issue that has hindered the Soweto giants this season.
Amakhosi have struggled with consistency during Nasreddine Nabi’s first season in charge, currently sitting in 9th place in the Betway Premiership standings. Expectations were high going into the season following the appointment of the Tunisian coach.
He took over from Cavin Johnson, who had managed the team late last season as an interim coach following the departure of Molefi Ntseki.
The Soweto giants finished in 10th place last season and hoped for a significant improvement this year. However, after 26 matches, they have only managed to secure eight victories and have suffered a record 12 losses, leaving them in the lower half of the league table.
The only silver lining this season has been their qualification for the CAF Confederation Cup, achieved by reaching the final of the Nedbank Cup.
On Saturday, they are on the verge of ending a nine-year trophy drought as they prepare to face their cross-town rivals, Orlando Pirates, at Moses Mabhida Stadium in the Nedbank Cup final. The last time Amakhosi reached a domestic cup final was six years ago. Nonetheless, Sirino and Miguel concur that a specific problem has been a consistent obstacle for the team.
WHAT SIRINO & MIGUEL IDENTIFY AS CHIEFS’ BIGGEST PROBLEM
During separate interviews with journalists on Monday at the Kaizer Chiefs Village in Naturena, the two senior players pointed out that the team often scores a goal and then relaxes, rather than searching for a second.
This season, they have failed to win five games after taking the lead. Most recently, they could not maintain their advantage against Marumo Gallants and Orlando Pirates, losing both matches 2-1.
“Sometimes in a game you’re leading by 1-0 and you can score another one. And sometimes when you don’t do it, it’s difficult for us,” the Angolan defender said.
“I think what I saw from the bench in this game [against Pirates] was the fact of being more serious sometimes in the game. We can’t relax in such a big game as it is this past weekend and next weekend. It’s the details, we can’t lose the focus.”
He added: “The biggest issue we’ve had this season is consistency”.
Sirino, formerly with Mamelodi Sundowns, also highlighted the team’s recurring failure to maintain leads to secure victories.
“We need to push, fight, and control the game more,” said the 34-year-old attacker. “Sometimes we play well, but we lose. So many games where we played well and still, we lose. Sometimes we score, and we relax in the game. We need to push more.”
The two are confident that Chiefs have what it takes to win Saturday’s final. However, they both agree it will require a lot of hard work and commitment to beat the reigning Nedbank Cup champions. Kick-off is at 15h00.
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