Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando Da Cruz remains convinced that his side are moving in the right direction despite their disappointing CAF Confederation Cup elimination.
Amakhosi’s continental campaign came to an end on Friday night after they defeated Red Arrows 1-0 in the second leg, only to lose 3-2 on penalties after the tie finished 1-1 on aggregate.
The result was a frustrating one for Chiefs, who needed a victory after losing the opening leg in Zambia.
Da Cruz sees positives despite elimination
Despite the disappointment, Da Cruz believes there were plenty of positives to take from his team’s performance.
The French coach felt Chiefs controlled large parts of the match and created enough opportunities to win the tie before it went to penalties.
“When we win or lose we have to analyse the game very closely, and when you analyse this game it’s very clear that we dominated the game and we created a lot of chances to win. We are heading in the right direction,” Da Cruz said.
For the Chiefs coach, the performance was evidence that his team’s progress should not be judged solely by the result.
He has now called on supporters to remain behind the team as he looks to build consistency and turn positive performances into victories.
Leaner absence adds another talking point
The match was preceded by controversy surrounding Renaldo Leaner, who was replaced in the starting line-up by Bruce Bvuma shortly before kick-off.
Chiefs announced that Leaner had suffered an injury during preparations for the match, although the explanation sparked questions among some supporters.
The goalkeeper’s omission also attracted attention because of reports surrounding an exchange between Leaner and teammate Reeve Frosler after the first-leg defeat to Red Arrows.
Those claims remain unconfirmed, while the club’s official explanation was that Leaner was unavailable because of injury.
Chiefs now turn attention to Carling Knockout
With their CAF Confederation Cup journey over, Chiefs must now focus on domestic competition.
Da Cruz will have an opportunity to put his ideas to the test in the Carling Knockout Cup, where the coach will be hoping to deliver his first piece of silverware in South Africa.
The pressure will undoubtedly remain high at Naturena, but the Chiefs boss believes his team are making progress.
The challenge now is simple: turn encouraging performances into results.
Can Da Cruz turn things around and deliver a trophy for Kaizer Chiefs?
