'It’s not okay‚ it’s not good‚ it’s not acceptable‚' says Chiefs coach Middendorp

28 April 2019 - 14:37

By Mark Gleeson

Kaizer Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp says his side are making the same old mistakes game-after-game after losing on Saturday to Bloemfontein in Polokwane to extend their winless streak in the league to five games.

“Unfortunately‚ against certain teams we do not have a good level of concentration.

“We also don’t have the right mentality for some games‚ the way it should be.

“It’s a different story against other teams but too often we are throwing away 30 to 45 minutes of a game through concentration lapses‚” he said.

Having to continually try and fight their way back to games after conceding was not acceptable‚ Middendorp added.

“It’s not OK‚ it’s not good‚ it’s not acceptable and we have to work on it to correct it … again.”

Chiefs remain in seventh place in the Premier Soccer League standings after the 1-0 defeat at the Peter Mokaba Stadium – effectively a neutral venue after Celtic were banned from hosting matches in the Free State capital.

They looked hapless against Celtic until a late burst of energy‚ unable to get combinations going‚ with over-elaborate short passing and then hit and hope balls upfront.

“We started the game like we’ve started our other matches in past weeks … slow.

“We only started playing after going 0-1 down. Then we had movement and tried to get back in the game.

“But it was expected that we would then face a defensive approach from the opponent with man marking and we could not find the key (to unlock the Celtic defence) in the final third‚” he continued.

“This is nothing new for us.

"We have been playing in this particular way for games now – Baroka‚ (Lamontville Golden) Arrows‚ Black Leopards – all games where we make it difficult for ourselves in certain moments.

“It’s not acceptable. But we have to work on it now for the next game against Free State Stars.

“We have to be concentrated to make sure we consolidate our position in the top eight for next season. That’s what we are looking for‚ plus to prepare ourselves for the cup final.