While one can admire the unprecedented optimism of Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane, most fans will say he is living in la-la land when he talks about winning the Nedbank Cup this season.
Cape Town – While one can admire the unprecedented optimism of Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane, most fans will say he is living in la-la land when he talks about winning the Nedbank Cup this season.
Chiefs have been dreadful this campaign and have failed to lift the league title in the last seven years. They have also come short in all the domestic competitions such as the MTN8, Telkom Knockout and Nedbank Cup during that time.
Chiefs kick off their Nedbank Cup campaign on Friday evening against Maritzburg United at the Harry Gwala Stadium, in Pietermaritzburg.
Much to his credit, Zwane has admitted that the DStv Premiership is out of reach for Chiefs and he has now turned his focus on South Africa’s premier knockout competition.
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“When it comes to the cup, we always want to win every game,” said Zwane.
“We do not choose the game to win, whether it be cup games or league games. We want to go to the final and win it because that is very important for us as a club.
“The players know what is at stake. We are going there with one thing in mind, to dig deep and make sure we go through.
“Nothing else!”
Zwane says the plan is to go all the way to the final even though the team has been hard hit by injuries at a time when they have been battling with a heavy schedule as well.
“The game have been coming thick and fast,” said Zwane.
“Obviously, this one is a cup game and it is not going to be an easy one. The approach will be totally different as will the mindset of the players.”
Zwane knows that the resurgent Maritzburg will offer formidable opposition on Friday.
“Maritzburg have been doing very well under the circumstances,” said Zwane.
“They are a good team. They played very well in their last game and were unfortunate to concede a late goal that cost them maximum points, though AmaZulu also played well.
“On Friday it is going to be a different ball game altogether because of the different approach, and their coach (Fadlu Davids) is a good tactician.
“They have changed their style from how they started, so it is not going to be easy for us going to them with home-ground advantage even though we’ll probably have more supporters.
“They are always there to cheer us on and give us that extra boost. It’s all up to us in terms of making sure we go through to the next round.”
As a result of injuries, a few fringe players, as well as the cream of the DDC league team, might come into the reckoning for Friday’s match.
“We have a lot of injuries in the squad so we have to look at how we are going to approach the game,” said Zwane.
“There are players who might share a position, but they are not the same, and we have our way of doing things.
“It gives other players an opportunity. What is key is that we, the technical staff, create competition within the squad, which is what has been happening.
“We may be able to give an opportunity to one or two of our players from the DDC league team.”
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