Kaizer Chiefs coach Giovanni Solinas is adamant that his side can still challenge for league honours despite their poor run of form.
Chiefs recovered from a poor start under Solinas to win three matches in a row in September, which catapulted them up the log and saw the Italian named the Coach of the Month for their good form.
The Glamour Boys are, however, without a win since the 2-0 victory over AmaZulu in that run and have now gone four games without a win, including the penalty shootout victory over Black Leopards in the Telkom Knockout.
Chiefs, who were within touching distance of log-leaders Bidvest Wits at the end of September, now sit seventh on the log and are seven points behind the pace-setters.
Solinas, who has often spoken about the need to win silverware at a club like Chiefs, admitted after the derby day loss to Orlando Pirates that results have not been up to the standard that his side needs to meet.
‘In the last few games we haven’t collected points, and this is not good for Kaizer Chiefs. But, in my opinion, we have the potential to win games in a row,’ said Solinas.
‘For example, we’ve won three games in a row [against Cape Town City, Free State Stars and AmaZulu]. Why can we not win three, four or five games in a row in future?
‘The league is very balanced. The league is not over, and we continue fighting. We try to win more games to put Chiefs in a high position on the log, because Kaizer Chiefs is Kaizer Chiefs.
‘But, at the moment, yes, we have not collected many points in recent games – we lost against Polokwane City, we lost also the derby, which is not good for us, but we move on.’
Despite their poor form, Solinas is aware that a good run of form will see his team rejoin the league leaders and is adamant that the title race remains wide open.
‘I believe we are able to win three or four games and we will be there [at the top]. The league is not over for Pirates; it’s not over for Wits or for Sundowns.
‘The league is finishing in May. It’s a balanced league – if you win two games you are there [at the top]; if you lose two games you are down [at the bottom].
‘We need consistency, I agree. We need to improve in consistency because you know it’s not possible for Kaizer Chiefs to stay up, down,’ concluded the Italian tactician.
Photo: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix
