Kaizer Chiefs assistant coach Cedric Kaze was delighted with how the entire team defended after securing a second successive win and clean sheet in the Betway Premiership.
A second-half goal from new signing Siphesihle Ndlovu in the final ten minutes guided the Amakhosi to a 1-0 win over Polokwane City on Wednesdaynight.
With the victory secured, the sense of responsibility in defence and attack from everybody particularly Ndlovu, Glodly Lilepo, Nkosingiphile Ngcobo and Pule Mmodi proved telling.
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“I would say that the important thing is I think – the players we play as a team that’s what most important because sometimes when there is no clean-sheet the responsibility lies on the keeper or defenders but you can see today for example how Lilepo is defending,” Kaze told SuperSport TV.
“How Mmodi is defending when he came and we feel that it’s everyone’s responsibility and they have gone to the point and the results are there to show for it."
Clubs in the stature of Chiefs usually play against low-block defences and struggle against them too, but penetrating the block of the Rise and Shine pleased the technical team.
“Yeah, as I said before even last season, we were struggling to play especially with lower block teams and when you miss two or three passes you become frustrated and you lose your focus and you give spaces to the opponents that can hurt you.
“But at halftime we spoke about it, we said that we need to keep our calm, our composure but we need as well a little bit of speed especially when we get into the final third to change a bit of intensity for us to be able to hurt them,” Kaze said.
At some point in the match, the Amakhosi battled to adapt to the long-balls from City and took a lot of the time on the ball particularly when on the attack.
The introductions of Reeve Frosler, Ngcobo, Ndlovu and Mmodi shifted the tide in that regard.
“We felt like at some point because they play a lot of long balls we were not there on the second-balls and we needed to fix that and as well going forward we were taking too much time deciding what we going to do and when you do that you give the opportunity to the opponents to track back.
“To settle themselves and we wanted even the introduction of ‘Mshini’, Ndlovu, Mmodi, Reeve was just to try to speed up and as well you can’t forget that we played a game three days ago. Physically, it was tough but we are happy to have the three points today."
Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
