Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando Da Cruz believes a heavy fixture schedule is precisely what his team needs as they attempt to bounce back from Friday night’s CAF Confederation Cup exit.
Amakhosi were eliminated on penalties by Zambia’s Red Arrows, leaving them with a short window to regroup before two massive domestic fixtures – a Carling Knockout Cup encounter against TS Galaxy on Tuesday and a high-stakes Soweto Derby clash against arch-rivals Orlando Pirates on Saturday.
Despite the tight turnaround, Da Cruz insists the quick succession of games is positive, giving his players no choice but to swiftly forget the continental disappointment and dial in on the upcoming domestic challenges.
“It’s very good to play quickly, because we play quickly, we can switch directly on the next game,” said Da Cruz.
“So, in my mind the most important is the next game against [TS Galaxy] in the Carling Cup because every time the most important game is the next one. So, we must prepare now to be qualified for the next round in the Carling Cup.”
He further emphasised that the players shouldn’t be placed under pressure, noting that despite failing to secure the desired result on Friday, their overall performance was solid.
“When we win or when we lose, we must analyse very well the game [against Red Arrows] and when you analyse this game today [Friday], it is very clear that we dominated all the game, we created a lot of chances, it is the positive,” he added.
“And now the most important thing is that we don’t put pressure on this type of players [key players] because they must continue on this way. We are on the good way because everyone has seen the game today.”