Despite facing the heat, Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane tried to put on a brave face during the Soweto derby press conference yesterday ahead of their clash against Orlando Pirates at FNB Stadium tomorrow (3.30pm).
Zwane seemed stressed following Chiefs' poor run of results and they are heading into the derby on the back of a disappointing 2-3 defeat to Golden Arrows last week in a match where he was booed by the supporters.
A loss tomorrow against the Buccaneers could put him more under pressure, but Zwane yesterday tried to put on a face of a coach who is not stressed. He said he would go into the match not worried.
“As far as I know, I am the head coach of Kaizer Chiefs and I have always been saying this, the club has always had a plan. We’ve got a plan and it doesn't matter as much as we know that we need three points,” Zwane explained to the media yesterday.
“I’m not going into this game worried about my job or other things. The focus is playing this game and making sure that the players apply themselves correctly.”
Just like the few past derbies, the Amakhosi head into this one again as underdogs and it is a tag they will want to have as they have been successful previously.
And Zwane is aware that a league double against his rivals will buy him more time at the club, having already beaten Pirates 1-0 in the reverse fixture last year.
“That will be sweet obviously [getting a double], but at the end of the day, there is a lot at stake. It is not only three points. We know what it means just to be part of it,” he said.
“So we are gunning for three points, there is no doubt about it. Having played the derby as a player, I know what is expected and the message I can send to the players is to forget about the noise that is happening outside.
“They must just focus on the game plan and the match itself because if you focus more on the noise now, by the time the game starts, you are already tired.
“I’m trying by all means as a coach for the players to stay away from things that are happening off the field and focus more on the game with the hope that we will grind the results.”
Zwane also revealed that defender Edmilson Dove is likely to miss the match as he was training on his own this week at the gym.
Dove missed the defeat to Arrows last week due to an unspecified illness.
'We've got a plan... and we need three points'
Zwane keeps his cool in midst of heat
'I'm not going into this game worried about my job or other things'
Image: Lefty Shivambu
Despite facing the heat, Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane tried to put on a brave face during the Soweto derby press conference yesterday ahead of their clash against Orlando Pirates at FNB Stadium tomorrow (3.30pm).
Zwane seemed stressed following Chiefs' poor run of results and they are heading into the derby on the back of a disappointing 2-3 defeat to Golden Arrows last week in a match where he was booed by the supporters.
A loss tomorrow against the Buccaneers could put him more under pressure, but Zwane yesterday tried to put on a face of a coach who is not stressed. He said he would go into the match not worried.
“As far as I know, I am the head coach of Kaizer Chiefs and I have always been saying this, the club has always had a plan. We’ve got a plan and it doesn't matter as much as we know that we need three points,” Zwane explained to the media yesterday.
“I’m not going into this game worried about my job or other things. The focus is playing this game and making sure that the players apply themselves correctly.”
Just like the few past derbies, the Amakhosi head into this one again as underdogs and it is a tag they will want to have as they have been successful previously.
And Zwane is aware that a league double against his rivals will buy him more time at the club, having already beaten Pirates 1-0 in the reverse fixture last year.
“That will be sweet obviously [getting a double], but at the end of the day, there is a lot at stake. It is not only three points. We know what it means just to be part of it,” he said.
“So we are gunning for three points, there is no doubt about it. Having played the derby as a player, I know what is expected and the message I can send to the players is to forget about the noise that is happening outside.
“They must just focus on the game plan and the match itself because if you focus more on the noise now, by the time the game starts, you are already tired.
“I’m trying by all means as a coach for the players to stay away from things that are happening off the field and focus more on the game with the hope that we will grind the results.”
Zwane also revealed that defender Edmilson Dove is likely to miss the match as he was training on his own this week at the gym.
Dove missed the defeat to Arrows last week due to an unspecified illness.
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