Kaizer Chiefs defender Zitha Kwinika has reflected on the club’s winless start in the CAF Confederations Cup group stages, noting important lessons despite the undesired results.
Amakhosi began the group stages of the CAF interclub competition by facing two Egyptian sides, Al Masry and Zamalek SC.
The Soweto giants, however, have managed to collect only one of the possible six points in the two games.
Chiefs suffered a 2-1 defeat away to Al Masry before drawing 1-1 at home against Zamalek at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday. Kwinika played the full 90 minutes in both matches. Despite the disappointing results, the 31-year-old defender reflected on his personal performance.
He expressed his satisfaction with his performance and thanked the club for trusting him to compete in continental football.
“At this point, I think I am doing well, and I am happy about that. Getting minutes and maybe performing at the highest level,” said Kwinika.
The Chiefs centre-back further emphasised that his ability to build confidence and develop as a player largely depends on the team achieving positive results.
“But I think what is important also is that it’s about the team. When we get results, I think it makes everything nice in terms of you getting the confidence you need.”
KWINIKA STRESSES PICKING UP THE PIECES
With just a single point collected, the Soweto giants are currently in fourth position in the highly competitive Group D. With four games remaining, the reigning Nedbank Cup champions still stand a solid chance to qualify for the quarter finals.
Nevertheless, the club finds itself in a challenging position, having struggled to secure consistent positive results across all competitions.
Chiefs have only managed to secure four victories in their past 10 games in all competitions. Kwinika remains confident that they are on the right path. Following the CAF results, he stressed the team’s determination to pick up the pieces, realign their focus, and move forward with positive takeaways.
“It’s still in the process because there are still more games to play. I think we have learned from the past two games we have played, and we are getting better,” Kwinika said.
He added: “We probably need to readjust and go back to the league again because the focus for now was still CAF. Now we are going to play Chippa in PE [Gqerbega], and it’s always a difficult game to be honest because it’s always tough playing against Chippa.”
Chiefs have now turned their attention to the Betway Premiership as they gear up for an away clash with Chippa United. They aim to reclaim their third place from Sekhukhune United while holding a game in hand. The ChillI Boys host Amakhosi on Wednesday at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. Kick Off is 19H30.
RELATED STORY: Chiefs issue injury update on Sirino & Cross ahead of Chippa United tie