Chiefs to prioritise results over possession vs Stellies

Ahead of their Nedbank Cup last 32 fixture away to Stellenbosch tomorrow, Kaizer Chiefs’ co-coach Cedric Kaze has said why they’ve opted to prioritise winning over obsessing about possession-based football in this second round of the campaign. “I believe that in every club, it’s the results that give you confidence to work on other things,” Kaze said at a presser in Parktown yesterday. “Sometimes you can be stubborn and say, ‘I want to play this one way’ and ‘this is my way of playing, and I will die with it’.

But when you die with ideas that don’t work, maybe that’s not a good way of dying. “We’re probably going to sacrifice a little bit of possession to be able to be a team that hurts you when you don’t expect it. Last year against AmaZulu, we had 72% ball possession and 19 shots, of which 12 were on target.

And we missed a penalty and ended up getting only one point. “The game against Galaxy on December 7, we had more than 60% of possession with more than 15 shots, nine on target, but we ended up with only one point. Now we saw that we can do without possession, but as you get results, then the players get more confidence to keep the ball and have that possession,” Kaze said.

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Chiefs have recorded 1-0 wins in all four of their fixtures in the new year, beating Golden Arrows and TS Galaxy in the domestic league and Zesco United of Zambia twice in the CAF Confederation Cup. Kaze believes that being the defending champions of the Nedbank Cup comes with the hefty price of being hunted. “It will make things difficult for us because everyone wants to beat the defending champions.

But we are Kaizer Chiefs, and we will do everything to defend our trophy,” Kaze said ahead of tomorrow’s Ke Yona last 32 fixture against Stellies at Cape Town Stadium. Tomorrow:Stellenbosch v Chiefs, Cape Town (7pm); Sundowns v Gomora, Loftus Versfeld (7pm). Friday: Durban v Chippa, Chatsworth (7pm); Vasco v Luthuli, Athlone.

Saturday:Rocket v Casric, Olympia Park (3pm); Cardinals v Spears, Goble Park (3pm); Highbury v Sekhukhune, Nelson Mandela Bay (3pm); Tshakhuma v Pirates, Moses Mabhida (3pm); Upington v Magesi, Mxolisi Dicky Jacobs (3pm); Arrows v Orbit, King Zwelithini (6pm). Sunday:Lions v University of PTA, Mxolisi Dicky Jacobs (3pm); Mkhambathi v Lerumo, Harry Gwala (3pm); Galaxy v Gallants, Solomon Mahlangu (3pm); Siwelele v Bay, Dr Molemela (6pm).

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