Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando da Cruz praised the depth and mentality of his squad after Amakhosi secured a 2-0 victory over Sekhukhune United at FNB Stadium on Wednesday evening.
The result saw Chiefs make it back-to-back victories in the Betway Premiership, with the Soweto giants producing a composed performance to claim maximum points.
For Da Cruz, however, the performance was particularly encouraging given the number of players currently unavailable to him.
The French coach revealed after the match that Chiefs are dealing with a lengthy injury and fitness list, with seven players currently either injured or not yet at full physical condition.
“I’m very happy with the squad at my disposal at the moment, but we have seven players injured or out of physical condition, at the moment, so maybe in one month or a month and a half, I will have more information about the squad,” Da Cruz said when asked about his squad options this season.
‘What I told them at half-time’
The situation has forced the Chiefs coach to rotate his squad early in the season, but the response from the players coming into the starting XI has left him encouraged.
Against Sekhukhune, Chiefs were unable to find a breakthrough in a tightly-contested opening 45 minutes, with both sides largely cancelling each other out.
Da Cruz admitted that the first half was heavily influenced by the tactical battle, before encouraging his players to express themselves more in the second period.
“During the first half it was quite tactical, with two teams not willing to offer space to the other team – and at half-time I asked the team to play with freedom moving forward in attack, so I’m very happy,” he said.
That freedom ultimately paid dividends as Chiefs found the goals they needed after the interval to put the game beyond Sekhukhune.
The victory was also significant from a squad-management perspective, with Da Cruz rotating his team amid a demanding early-season schedule.
“We were successful, we scored goals, we played three games in six games, so I needed to make changes, and these players kept up the level of the team so I’m very happy with the mindset of the team,” he said.
The coach’s comments underline the importance he places on competition within his squad, particularly with Chiefs expected to navigate a busy campaign across domestic competitions.