Da Cruz’s excuses don’t exonerate him from tactical blunders

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Opens in new windowOpens in new windowOpens in new windowOpens in new windowEnter fullscreen mode displaying this image.ExpandFernando Da Cruz, coach of Kaizer Chiefs reacts during the Betway Premiership 2026/27 match between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on the 31 October 2026 © Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix Kaizer Chiefs coach Fernando da Cruz was adamant his team lost Saturday’s Soweto derby to Orlando Pirates mainly because of inexperience, but a glance at the two teams’ sheets tells a different story.

Ten of the 11 players who started for Amakhosi in the 1-2 loss to their bitter rivals have been at the club for more than two seasons, except Thabo Moloisane, a solid international defender who joined from Stellenbosch at the start of this term.

By contrast, Pirates started with a midfield trio of derby debutants in Simphiwe Masilela, Thapelo Mokobodi and Simphiwe Masilela, as well as the vastly inexperienced Nkosikhona Ndaba at left-back, who was limited to just five minutes in the two derbies last season.

Da Cruz cannot throw the inexperience excuse and expect it to hold. Chiefs have had far too many games like Saturday’s, where they failed to capitalise on their chances, such as the ones they had in the first half against Pirates. Wandile Duba’s point-blank miss early in the game was the most glaring − and Chiefs paid the ultimate price.

Whereas in previous games they would escape with one point when their performance merited three, at the weekend they left SA’s biggest football fixture with nothing but a severely battered pride after suffering a first league defeat of the season and plunging 11 points behind their rivals.

It’s not entirely Da Cruz’s fault, but he’s not blameless either. Injuries have robbed him of dependable players such as Siphesihle Ndlovu, Thabosi Monyane and Langelihle Phili. But questions remain about why he relegated Rushwin Dortley to the bench after he returned from a long injury in last week’s win over TS Galaxy.

His replacement for Saturday, Inacio Miguel, departed to his second red card in Chiefs colours, adding to the 21 cautions he’s received since joining the club in 2024.

Chiefs’ other main problem has been poor finishing, but it was not until the final 10 minutes that Da Cruz called Flavio da Silva − their top scorer last season − from the substitutes’ bench. By then, his Pirates counterpart Abdeslam Ouaddou had already corrected his mistake of fielding Deon Hotto in an unfamiliar right-wing role. He removed Ndaba, moved Hotto to left-back and deployed Ghampani Lungu among the attackers.

Pirates also had the luxury of introducing Bafana players Oswin Appollis and Evidence Makgopa at a time when they had the momentum.

Da Cruz promised he would get it right. “It takes time,” he reasoned, but time may not be on his side. Chiefs need to show more than promise; they must convert their big chances and not escape with draws or defeats from matches they dominate.

The truth is, once Ouaddou corrected his tactical error, only one outcome was possible in a one-sided second half, and Pirates should have added more goals. Chiefs, meanwhile, had no answers after falling behind to Tshepang Moremi’s goal, which put Pirates 2-1 up.

Da Cruz bemoaned that Bucs’ opening goal may have been offside and accused them of “playing with 12 men”, but he will need to look beyond injuries, players’ ages, and resources to honestly assess why Amakhosi are evidently falling far behind their rivals.