Kaizer Chiefs defender Njabulo Ngcobo has opened up on the pressure to win the Nedbank Cup and compares how far Amakhosi are to reaching the level of Mamelodi Sundowns.
Chiefs had a bad start to their league season that led to the club parting ways with former coach Molefi Ntseki barely three months into the new campaign.
However, despite Johnson reviving the Glamour Boys since he was appointed in a caretaker role, like all the teams with ambitions of challenging for the DStv Premiership title, are nowhere near log leaders Sundowns, who are chasing their consecutive seventh league title.
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Ngcobo believes they are on the right track to reach the level of Sundowns, with Johnson in charge and they will "soon" start challenging again.
"I think so and soon (Chiefs can topple Sundowns), the way we train, even now you can see we try to play, we try to pass one another, so I think if we can keep working hard we will reach that level, we're not far off," Ngcobo told journalists at a Vodacom campaign in Tembisa.
In spite of league struggles early in the season, Chiefs showed a big promise in the MTN8 and narrowly missed out on a spot in the final after losing 3-2 on aggregate to the Brazilians in the semi-finals.
However, Amakhosi were knocked out in the first round of the Carling Knockout, a 1-0 defeat to AmaZulu that sealed Ntseki's fate.
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With the Nedbank Cup the last trophy on offer for the season, Ngcobo went on and said that they have to win it.
"Nedbank is a must, we need to win Nedbank, we need to do well in the remaining games, I think if we can win (most of them), then we'll have a good opportunity to be in the top three," he said.
'Mapholoba' has been struggling for regular game-time and concluded that one of the challenging factors at Chiefs compared to his time at Moroka Swallows is pressure and feels he's starting to get used to it.
"Pressure is there because it's a big team, they teach us about pressure and soon I'll get into gear," he added.
Chiefs will host Motsepe Foundation Championship side Milford in the Nedbank Cup last 32 fixture.