Johannesburg - Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter admitted that the confidence of his side took a knock after they conceded early to Knox Mutizwa and Golden Arrows as they were downed 1-0 by the Kwa-Zulu Natal-based side at the FNB Stadium on Saturday night.
The Englishman conceded that his side's backline was the fault of his team in the game. Chiefs conceded in the early stages following a blunder from Eric Mathoho. Baxter went with the unusual decision of making two defensive changes ahead of the second half as Mathoho and Phathutshedzo Nange were replaced by Austin Dube and Siyabonga Ngezana.
“Our confidence also affected us when we were on the ball. We were not positive and lost so many balls,” said Baxter.
"I usually don’t want to change centre-backs because that is usually not where the problem is but today it was the case. Things became tactically messier because we had to keep on pushing. The back four in the first half was not in sync at all,” Baxter said in a post-match press conference.
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Baxter also admitted that his side have little chance of winning the league this season. Some fans would have had renewed hope after Chiefs won their arbitration case against the Premier Soccer League (PSL) last week which allowed them to play fixtures that they missed late last year against Golden Arrows and Cape Town City due to a reported Covid-19 outbreak within their squad.
“The sensible person knows that (us winning the league) is a possibility and not a probability. We had to do our job tonight and keep the pressure on Sundowns. The pressure is almost minimal and right now it is negligible. They can kick on and relax in their games,” said Baxter.
The result means that Chiefs’ struggles to achieve consistency continue. The Amakhosi would have backed themselves to beat Arrows, especially as they entered the game on the back of two wins against Orlando Pirates and Baroka FC.
The result could negatively affect their ability to finish in the top two this season. A finish in the top two would earn Chiefs the right to play in next season’s Caf Champions League.
“The performance we put in lacked quality. The performance we had against Pirates was with quality. Everybody is disappointed,” said Baxter.
Chiefs will next be in action after the international break as they travel to the Eastern Cape to play against Chippa United at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on April 2.