Da Cruz Reveals Why Orlando Pirates Are More Consistent Than Kaizer Chiefs

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando da Cruz has admitted that his team still has a lot of work to do before they can compete at the same level as Orlando Pirates, identifying experience and consistency as two important areas where their Soweto rivals currently have an advantage.

The Amakhosi suffered their first Betway Premiership defeat under Da Cruz after losing 2-1 to Pirates in the Soweto Derby this weekend. The result has left Chiefs 12 points behind league leaders Mamelodi Sundowns and 11 points behind second-placed Pirates, who also have a game in hand.

The defeat was a disappointment for Chiefs, but Da Cruz believes there were positive moments during the match. However, he also understands that his players need to improve if they want to compete consistently against the strongest teams in the country.

According to the French coach, Pirates have an advantage because they have more experienced players who have developed the consistency needed to perform in difficult matches.

“The difference between Pirates and us, they have more experienced players and they have more consistency because of that,” Da Cruz said.

He explained that Chiefs have young players who are still learning and need to improve their performances from one match to another. He believes this development will take time and cannot happen immediately.

“Our young players need to develop this consistency game by game. It takes time, it’s a process we need to take step by step and for the moment we’re not there. We will work hard to reach this step,” he added.

Da Cruz also wants his players to understand that producing a good performance for only part of a match is not enough. Although he was pleased with what Chiefs showed in the first half against Pirates, he believes they must take another step forward to become a stronger team.

He encouraged the players to use matches against difficult opponents as learning opportunities and understand what is required to compete at a higher level.

The coach further explained that experience cannot be gained from one day to the next. Players need regular training, more competitive matches and exposure to different competitions to develop the consistency required.

Despite acknowledging that his squad still lacks experience, Da Cruz made it clear that he remains proud of his players and believes they showed their quality against Pirates.

“When you analyse the first half, it was a masterclass against this team. In this game, I’m proud of my players – against this team we could control the game and the ball,” he said.

Chiefs must now focus on their next challenge as they prepare to host Siwelele at FNB Stadium on Friday in the Carling Knockout Cup quarter-finals.

The match will give Da Cruz’s team an opportunity to respond to the derby defeat and continue working towards the improvements he believes are necessary.

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