Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane has astonishingly likened the Soweto giants’ current situation to that of Bafana Bafana.
Amakhosi have struggled for consistency this season, with results fluctuating. And the reason for the inconsistent run is due to several factors, according to Zwane.
To make matters worse, Chiefs had no player selected in the Bafana Bafana squad that featured against Liberia in the back-to-back AFCON qualifiers most recently.
Bafana beat Liberia 2-1 in Monrovia on Tuesday, 28 March following a disappointing 2-2 draw at Orlando Stadium on Friday, 24 March. With the hard-fought victory in the return leg, Bafana made it through to the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast.
Zwane, who was watching the AFCON qualifiers with keen interest compared Bafana’s dull display in the first leg tie against Liberia to the Chiefs’ alarming struggles in the 2022/23 campaign.
However, before the FIFA international break, which began on Monday, March 20, and ended on Tuesday, March 28, Chiefs hit top gear, winning their fourth consecutive game across all competitions for the first time since April 2017.
WHY ARTHUR ZWANE COMAPARES BAFANA’S PERFORMANCE TO CHIEFS’
Explaining Chiefs’ below-par performances, Zwane insisted that it would be absurd to question the team’s quality.
“We do have the quality,” said Zwane. “When you are Kaizer Chiefs and things are not going your way people will always doubt your quality. People expect Kaizer Chiefs to be up there competing for the number one spot.
“And I will say it again, when you look at the number of chances we created, we are probably the second best after Mamelodi Sundowns.
“The only difference is that Sundowns take 80% of their chances, and we only scored 30%. And yes, we have been very sloppy when it comes to defending. When you look at the goals we have conceded, it is not that teams punished us; we give the ball away for them to punish us, not that they outplayed us.
“I admit, we have had poor performances. We have been blowing hot and cold, but still we have been creating plenty of opportunities and most of the games we played, we dominated and we were just unfortunate not to win so that’s football for you.”
The Glamour Boys are fourth on the DStv Premiership log standings after 23 games with 11 wins, four draws and eight defeats.
With the league title out of reach, Chiefs’ target is to secure a CAF Champions League spot: second place on the log.
‘PEOPLE ARE UNFAIR TO THE PLAYERS’
“We are also in the same situation with the national team where at Orlando [against Liberia] they created a number of chances,” added Zwane.
“Would you say it is lack of quality? If I may ask? No, you can’t doubt the quality of Percy Tau, there is no way, he is one of the exceptional players in South Africa according to me.
“He was well developed because a team in England wouldn’t have identified him if he was not quality. So for the fact that he missed chances on the day, it doesn’t mean now that we should say that he is not quality.
“He is one of the top players we have in this country, so we are in a similar situation. We miss chances, that’s all.
“So if you want to judge us based on that, then I think people are being unfair to the players because you take some and you miss some and what is the difference between us and the national team? Sometimes it comes with luck, you need that luck.”
Meanwhile, the only trophy that Chiefs still have a chance to win this season is Nedbank Cup. They’re currently in the quarterfinals where they have been drawn against Royal AM.
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