Kaizer Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp has admitted that his side’s current performances in the league have not been acceptable as they extended their winless run in the league to five games over the weekend.

Chiefs went down 1-0 to a determined Bloemfontein Celtic side on Saturday night in a performance that has become the norm in recent weeks in the league for the Glamour Boys.

Although their run in the Nedbank Cup has helped make up for their failure in the league, Middendorp is aware that they will need to stop making the same mistakes game after game if they are to improve ahead of next season.

‘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,’ said the German tactician.

‘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.

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

The loss to Celtic sees Chiefs remains seventh on the Absa Premiership log, and any hopes of a higher finish are starting to evaporate as Middendorp also admitted  their recent struggles were nothing new.

‘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,’ Middendorp concluded.