It’s my job not to give up on players, says Amakhosi coach

Kaizer Chiefs suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Chippa United at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday, putting an end to their seven-game unbeaten run.

A new-look Amakhosi team appeared to be heading in the right direction following an impressive run of performances. However a poor display against Chippa saw them suffer their first defeat at home this season.

A huge chunk of coach Arthur Zwane's problems this season have been his side's inability to convert the simplest of chances in front of goal.

It was a similar case on Saturday as some of the club's most clinical finishers were guilty of spurning numerous chances against Chippa.

Zwane was a disappointed figure at the post-match press conference. The 49-year-old however vowed to not lose hope in his players as fixtures come thick and fast.

"This is a part of football, there comes a time where clubs go through these sorts of things. How many times did we have the goalkeeper beaten hands down today and still failed to score? Our job as coaches is to not give up on these boys," Zwane said.

90 + 5’| #KC 1 : 2 #CU

Full time score: (Ngezana 44’) Kaizer Chiefs 1 : 2 Chippa United (Luthuli 54’, Pfumbidzai 89’)#Amakhosi4Life #DStvPrem #KCFreshRevival pic.twitter.com/EPc0k572d5

— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) October 15, 2022

"We need to go back to the field and keep practising our finishing because we get into the right positions to score all the time, but we're just missing that final touch.

"Looking at all the attacking talent that we have on the field, we can score at any point and time, but it's just a matter of using the right technique at the right time."

One stand-out player for Chiefs this season has been Kgaogelo Sekgota.

However on Saturday it was one of those games for him as he failed to make an impact, and was substituted in the 57th minute for Khama Billiat.

Zwane explained his decision to make the substitution, revealing that it was important for him to protect Sekgota and also required a different tactic to try and claim victory.

"He (Sekgota) didn't have a good game today and we don't want him to get into a situation where his confidence gets affected by this single performance," Zwane said.

"We still need him in the next game and we still need him for the Cup game this week, and also he needs to understand competition and he should know that if he doesn't perform then there's always someone ready to take his place."

@SmisoScribe