Kaizer Chiefs head coach Arthur Zwane has opened up on the backing he received from Sporting Director Kaizer Motaung Jr prior to the Soweto Derby against Orlando Pirates. Despite going into the derby on the back of a 3-2 loss to Golden Arrows, Motaung Jr supported Zwane and his technical team amid the backlash from supporters. Amakhosi then went on to beat the Buccaneers 1-0, and Zwane believes that going through a rough patch is part of the rebuilding process.
“Like I’ve always said, the club has a plan and we know that when you start something, at some point you gonna go through some rough patch, it’s part of the game because we’re trying to lay a strong foundation,” said Zwane in a press conference. “That foundation will obviously help us now to bring in players that can easily fit in, in our way of playing. Injuries did not help us, too many injuries, we’ve lost key players in important games.”
He also indicated that they are laying a foundation so they can recruit the players who can suit the system and injuries have not helped their cause. “What’s key from our side is to focus and keep on working on the plan because there’s nothing like to be successful without challenges. Yes, we’re facing challenges (but) we cannot come here and complain,” he said.
Zwane added that sometimes one player can make a huge difference. “How many chances Orlando Pirates created? Or how many times did they get behind us? But last week we had a bit of a challenge (in a 3-2 loss to Arrows),” he said.
This weekend, Chiefs travel to the King Zwelithini Stadium to face Richards Bay, the clash gets underway on Saturday at 15:30.