Orlando Pirates co-coach Fadlu Davids wants to see his team approaching each match as a cup final so that they end their run of drawing matches.
Bucs are no longer just of out of challenging Mamelodi Sundowns for the league title, but their prospects of finishing second and qualifying for next year's Caf Champions League are also hanging by a thread.
This became more evident after Bucs notched their 11th draw in 21 DStv Premiership matches against Cape Town City (0-0) at home on Wednesday night.
Speaking on Thursday before meeting Soweto arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday, Davids conceded that Pirates have had a bumpy ride in the league and will have to address that in their remaining nine league outings if they're to mount a serious challenge to finish in second spot.
"You have to win five, six or seven in a row in the league. But that consistency and juggling of competitions and still having the same mindset is what we're trying to build in the squad."
Davids has fingered their participation in the Caf Confederation Cup, where Bucs have a chance to qualify for the quarterfinals, as something that has had a huge impact on the poor results and inconsistency they've had in the league
"You travel back from Libya and come to a situation where you don't have enough time to prepare, but you're still expected to have the right mentality to be able to perform at the right level.
"You must still have the right mindset to score goals and finish teams off earlier in matches because you know that with fatigue catching up in the second half, like [Wednesday night against City], you're not able play to with the same mentality.
"But that's the mindset for us, we have to build without taking any matches for granted. We must have the right mindset for 90 minutes, whether we have three or seven days to prepare.
"That's what we're trying to build in the players. Control their thinking, don't think fatigue, think next action, and then we're able to perform at a consistent level to win six, seven, eight or nine matches in a row.
"That's what we need to build, whether it's the league, Nedbank Cup or Confederation Cup, that's what we're trying to build in players. We must approach each match as a cup final and get the three points no matter the competition we're playing."
The approach Davids is talking will have to start on Saturday when Bucs host a Chiefs side which has had a week to prepare. Chiefs are also backed by the latest league results they managed to get against their rivals in their last five encounters.
Amakhosi have won four of the last five matches, including the last two. Both sides have a chance to finish second on the log if they can manage a decent level of consistency.
Bucs won two, lost one and drew two of their last five matches while Chiefs are slightly better with three wins, one loss and a draw.
TimesLIVE
Fadlu Davids wants Pirates to end their inconsistency against Chiefs
Image: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
Orlando Pirates co-coach Fadlu Davids wants to see his team approaching each match as a cup final so that they end their run of drawing matches.
Bucs are no longer just of out of challenging Mamelodi Sundowns for the league title, but their prospects of finishing second and qualifying for next year's Caf Champions League are also hanging by a thread.
This became more evident after Bucs notched their 11th draw in 21 DStv Premiership matches against Cape Town City (0-0) at home on Wednesday night.
Speaking on Thursday before meeting Soweto arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday, Davids conceded that Pirates have had a bumpy ride in the league and will have to address that in their remaining nine league outings if they're to mount a serious challenge to finish in second spot.
"You have to win five, six or seven in a row in the league. But that consistency and juggling of competitions and still having the same mindset is what we're trying to build in the squad."
Davids has fingered their participation in the Caf Confederation Cup, where Bucs have a chance to qualify for the quarterfinals, as something that has had a huge impact on the poor results and inconsistency they've had in the league
"You travel back from Libya and come to a situation where you don't have enough time to prepare, but you're still expected to have the right mentality to be able to perform at the right level.
"You must still have the right mindset to score goals and finish teams off earlier in matches because you know that with fatigue catching up in the second half, like [Wednesday night against City], you're not able play to with the same mentality.
"But that's the mindset for us, we have to build without taking any matches for granted. We must have the right mindset for 90 minutes, whether we have three or seven days to prepare.
"That's what we're trying to build in the players. Control their thinking, don't think fatigue, think next action, and then we're able to perform at a consistent level to win six, seven, eight or nine matches in a row.
"That's what we need to build, whether it's the league, Nedbank Cup or Confederation Cup, that's what we're trying to build in players. We must approach each match as a cup final and get the three points no matter the competition we're playing."
The approach Davids is talking will have to start on Saturday when Bucs host a Chiefs side which has had a week to prepare. Chiefs are also backed by the latest league results they managed to get against their rivals in their last five encounters.
Amakhosi have won four of the last five matches, including the last two. Both sides have a chance to finish second on the log if they can manage a decent level of consistency.
Bucs won two, lost one and drew two of their last five matches while Chiefs are slightly better with three wins, one loss and a draw.
TimesLIVE
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