Chiefs aim for higher league finish after cup shock

With no trophies left to play for this season after their early exit from the Nedbank Cup on Saturday, Kaizer Chiefs will now try to finish in a higher position in the DStv Premiership.

This is according to coach Stuart Baxter as he shared his disappointment in their 1-0 defeat to TS Galaxy at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

The defeat meant Baxter’s charges have now suffered a first-round exit for the second year in a row in this competition. The trophy drought that dates back to May 2015 will continue into the seventh year for the Amakhosi.

In the league, they are 19 points behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.

“Everyone is disappointed because we put ourselves as one of the teams with the aspiration to win this trophy... and we have been playing well enough,” Baxter explained to the media after the game.

“We are close to the top of the table and we believe a cup run was not impossible for us.

“So, going out brings that equivalent level of disappointment because we see that trophy disappear. We have to do the best we can in the league to finish as high as we can.”

On Saturday, Chiefs looked flat and disjointed and Baxter feels they lacked quality.

He demanded immediate improvement when they visit Cape Town City at Cape Town Stadium on Tuesday at 7.30pm. 

“We didn’t play at any time with the quality that we have and I look at the training this week, it has been first class and I thought we will give a better performance than that,” he said.

“When you play cup football, you have to build momentum and you have to take an initiative and put the opponents on the back foot. We made too many tactical errors.

“After the first team 10 minutes I thought we played with a little bit of structure but then I’m sure that after the first 10 minutes Galaxy felt they were in the game."