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| Kaizer Chiefs head coach Ernst Middendorp (Photo copyright Steve Haag Sports) |
Kaizer Chiefs head coach Ernst Middendorp says he had nothing to do with the club’s trophy drought and believes they are now heading in the right direction.
The German tactician took over at Amakhosi in December last year and led them to a ninth-place finish in the Premiership. However, they’ve since found form under Middendorp and currently top the standings with a five-point lead over Mamelodi Sundowns, who have a game in hand.
Despite the improvement Chiefs are still in search of their first piece of silverware since 2015, when they won the domestic league.
“We seem to be heading in the right direction but at the moment I’m not dreaming, I’m thinking about the next game, which is against Chippa in Port Elizabeth,” Middendorp said as quoted by Independent Media.
“I have nothing to do with the past four years. I only came here in December 2018. I’ve been here for the past 11 months.
“We definitely had some changes to make. We had a very clear target at the start of the season. We wanted to do much better than last season.”
Chiefs eliminated Orlando Pirates from the Telkom Knockout on Saturday when they clinched a 4-2 penalty shootout win in the quarterfinals.
“When you win, you build confidence. Game after game your confidence grows. You can see even if you go to a penalty shoot-out, players don’t run away,” Middendorp added.
“They are raising their hands and saying, ‘I’ll take the first one and I’ll take the last one’.
“This is a very clear indication that confidence is building up. We are heading in the right direction.”