After suffering their fourth consecutive loss in the recent match
against Richards Bay United, Kaizer Chiefs coach Cedric Kaze blamed his
side’s shaky defence as a major contributor to the defeat.
Amakhosi entered the Mhlathuze Sports Complex with a point to prove
following their weekend slump in the derby against Orlando Pirates. However,
the final score against Richards Bay was the last thing they expected
heading into Tuesday’s encounter.
Speaking to the media after the game, Kaze revealed that defensive
instability cost them dearly, particularly with suspended Zitha Kwinika and
Inacio Miguel—who was pulled out during the warm-up just before kickoff—both
unavailable.
“I’ll say that we handled the game well in the first 15 minutes, 20 minutes.
We were threatening the opposition’s box. After that, we started to get a
little bit on the defensive, and I believe that the threat was every ball
they played into our defence, our defence was a little bit shaky. It wasn’t
really clean,” Kaze observed.
The Burundian-born coach further noted that opportunities were limited for
both sides in the opening half.
“First half, I think there were not a lot of opportunities for both teams.
“We come back to the second period, we felt that we were doing well, but we
didn’t threaten the defensive line enough because we had a lot of players
who are feet ballers and that have the ball on their feet.
“We didn’t make enough runs behind the defensive line. We tried to correct
that with the introduction of some players, but unfortunately, we conceded a
goal at a moment when I felt we were the better team on the field. After
that, it was a difficult situation.
“We tried to do everything to come back, but after we had made our
substitutions, (Nkanyiso) Shinga got injured, and then we had to finish the
game the last 10 minutes with 10 players. It was difficult, and it’s a
disappointing result,” Kaze concluded.
Chiefs will now have to wait until March 15 to rectify their mistakes when
they meet Durban City FC at the FNB Stadium.
