"Kaizer Chiefs can still win the league" - Steve Komphela

Kaizer Chiefs coach Steve Komphela has not thrown in the towel yet and believes that the struggling club can still win the Premier Soccer League title this season.

The increasingly pressured coach was adamant that despite the club’s poor run of form‚ Chiefs — who are sixth on the standings — can still turn things around and claim domestic football’s Holy Grail in May next year.

‘‘Yes sir‚ we can still win it (the league title)‚” a confident Komphela declared.

But Komphela will find it very difficult to convince the club’s many supporters who are becoming increasingly disillusioned with his regime‚ especially after Chiefs’ goalless draw with Bloemfontein Celtic at home at Soccer City on Wednesday night.

Many of them have already written off the season as a lost cause and point towards Chiefs’ failure to win a game in eight outings as reason for believing that things will not change.

They have displayed their unhappiness by continuing to heckle him and even hurled objects at the embattled coach at the end of Chiefs’ recent matches.

But Komphela continues to maintain a positive outlook in the face of his many challenges.

The Chiefs coach was upset when he found out that fellow title hopefuls Bidvest Wits‚ who have suddenly gone off the boil in recent weeks‚ were held to a goalless draw by Golden Arrows at the Princess Magogo Stadium in KwaMashu‚ Durban‚ on Wednesday night.

He said the goalless draw with Celtic was costly as Chiefs could have taken advantage of Wits’ stumble and reduced the points gap — two points — between the two sides.

‘‘It sends a big message with regret that we did not win against Celtic because all you need is a win and if the rest (of the title challengers) are inconsistent then you can peep through.

‘‘You cannot ask the fans to keep quiet when they demand what they deserve and you have to take it.

‘‘We have to keep on going and hoping that come Sunday (at Soccer City‚ the Lord is with us when we face Polokwane City and we can get three points so that our people can go to Christmas in a happy place. It is not nice.

‘‘None of us are enjoying it but we are in this and we have been given the responsibility.”

Chiefs can expect a far more difficult day in the office against the Polokwane side as Belgian coach Luc Eymael has transformed them into a very difficult side to beat.

City have only lost twice in the league this season‚ a record bettered only by SuperSport United‚ and the 16 goals they’ve scored after 13 matches this season give them the edge over a Chiefs side that has only managed to find the net 13 times in this campaign.

WEEKEND’S PSL FIXTURES

Saturday:

Chippa United vs Highlands Park at Buffalo City Stadium (3:30pm)

Platinum Stars vs Maritzburg United at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium (3:30pm)

Bloemfontein Celtic vs Ajax Cape Town at Dr Molemela Stadium (6pm)

Bidvest Wits vs Free State Stars at Milpark (8:15pm)

Sunday:

Kaizer Chiefs vs Polokwane City at Soccer City (3:30pm)

Baroka FC vs Golden Arrows at Peter Mokaba Stadium (3:30pm) — TMG Digital