Arthur Zwane has dismissed the idea that AmaZulu are in a relegation battle for Betway Premiership survival.
Usuthu started the season with three straight defeats under former boss Pablo Franco Martin.
Zwane and fellow co-coach Vuzumusi Vilakazi started their tenure with a 2-1 defeat to Stellenbosch in the first round of the Carling Knockout Cup.
They also narrowly lost 2-1 to Orlando Pirates in the league before securing their first points of the new campaign with a 2-0 defeat of Chippa United.
The duos next test comes against Richards Bay away from home after the international break and Zwane insists it is too early to consider his side as relegation candidates.
The former Kaizer Chiefs mentor said on iDiski Times: I know a lot of people will always say we’re fighting relegation; how can you fight relegation when you still have 25 games left? There’s still a lot to play for.
“You start fighting relegation when you’re left with five games, according to my understanding, it also depends on how other teams are doing and the gap between you and other teams, then you can start talking about relegation.”
An upbeat Zwane added: “Right now, we are not even thinking about relegation. We are thinking about improving the team and challenging ourselves because we are in this league to compete.
“Probably, the break we are going to have is more of a blessing in disguise, but we would have liked to carry on with the momentum, it’s a chance to fix things we lack.”