“Ball possession is fantastic for the eye, but I am asking you, what does it mean when you have ball possession in your own half,” asked Kaizer Chiefs coach, Ernst Middensdorp when asked about the type of football played by his team.
In the Absa Premiership, Chiefs are five points clear at the top and are the inform team in the PSL currently but there have also been questions about their football with some alleging that it’s not good to the eye.
Middendorp tackled this question on Wednesday:
Take a listen below:
There’s some good and bad news for Kaizer Chiefs ahead of their crucial Telkom Knockout Soweto Derby against arch-rivals Orlando Pirates at the sold out Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday afternoon, with kick-off at 15:00
Middendorp revealed to the media on Wednesday that influential attacker Bernard Parker could return from the injury, but on-form players like Reeve Frosler and Kearyn Baccus are not so fortunate.
Speaking to the media at the Chiefs Village, Middendorp is positive that the players available will do the job like they did against Mamelodi Sundowns.
Amakhosi are coming to this game as overwhelming favourites, having won all their last five matches in all competitions and conceding only one goal in the process and scoring eight.
Middendorp says they are coming to this match with one target and that’s to progress to the semi-finals as they finalize their tactical plan for the game.
One area that remains a concern for Chiefs, and it was evident against Sundowns, is ball retention in the midfield – and this where they were dominated in ball possession and with a bit of luck the score could’ve been different on the day for the hosts.
But Middendorp says this can also be addressed by some of the players who are returning for this game.
Middendorp is no stranger to derbies. He’s under no illusions that the form book goes out of the window when it comes to this game as they approach a Pirates team that has been struggling in the past few months.
Meanwhile, with match officiating a huge talking point in the PSL these days, especially after this past weekend’s decision to allow Chiefs’ first goal against Sundowns, Amakhosi striker Leonardo Castro was asked if the ball touched him before it reached Samir Nurkovic on Sunday.
– Report by Velile Mnyandu
