Chiefs coach remains cautious

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - MAY 13: Stuart Baxter during the Kaizer Chiefs training session and press conference from Naturena on May 13, 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Duif du Toit/Gallo Images)

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - MAY 13: Stuart Baxter during the Kaizer Chiefs training session and press conference from Naturena on May 13, 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Duif du Toit/Gallo Images)

Published May 14, 2013

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Johannesburg – Stuart Baxter tried his best to drum home the message that Kaizer Chiefs are not Absa Premiership champions yet.

But even he ended up self-praising, stating Amakhosi had done “a great job”, and singling out several games which have put them on the brink of glory, which should formally be sealed this week.

The Briton could also not understand how there could be assertions that Chiefs were largely aided towards their first championship for eight years by weekend defeats suffered by chasers Orlando Pirates and Platinum Stars.

“It would be a vast over-simplification of what has been a long, hard season, to say we are winning the title because other teams lost on the weekend. We have been taking points, while these other teams have been dropping theirs. We got ourselves into a leading position, and it was the duty of other teams to catch up, but we knew they could lose points. I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to talk about what they failed to do,” Baxter said.

Chiefs have put themselves in an enviable position where they can afford to lose all the points in clashes against SuperSport United (on Tuesday) and Tuks (Saturday), and still be champions.

This is why even the greatest soothsayer would not risk making a false prediction on Chiefs being dislodged from a position they’ve occupied since August. It is for that reason that Baxter is opposed to perceptions that his side have been done favours by other teams. It is why he wants them to win the remaining games, and also clinch the Nedbank Cup.

Even when the job is surely done, Baxter threatened his players risked missing out on the cup final against SuperSport next weekend if they did not finish this week on a high.

“If any player becomes complacent, they are out of the final, simple as that,” he said.

“We want to win these two games. I want everyone to go full-on into these games. We have an obligation to the league because everyone expects us to perform to our optimum level.”

Baxter, who will watch this week’s games from the stands as he serves a two-match ban, singled out two games as having been key to Chiefs sustaining their top position all season, something which is almost unprecedented.

“If we had gone to Bloemfontein (Celtic) and lost, like some expected us to, we would have wobbled. The game against Moroka Swallows was also key.”

He added that Chiefs’ winning formula was founded on team spirit, a strong structure and depth in a side initially questioned at the beginning of the season about their personnel.

“I was told when I came here that African players take too long to carry out instructions – but that is nonsense. We got the team structure right. There’s unity in the team. People said in the beginning that we don’t have a big squad, but we managed to handle suspensions and injuries well throughout.”

Clearly feeling confident, Baxter also used Monday’s press day at Naturena to address claims he had embellished his curriculum vitae.

“People looked at my CV and said it’s dodgy, and there’s nothing I can do about that. My job coming here was to make sure the club is in a better situation than before, that’s my job ethic. Should I be laughing at them now that we are about to win the championship? No, they are doing their jobs and I have to do mine.”

Meanwhile, deposed champions Pirates face another must-win situation when they host Black Leopards tomorrow if they want to finish runners-up and bank R5-million, instead of the R3-m they would get for ending in their current third position.

Leopards, too, will hope for a victory that would see them leapfrog Chippa United into 15th place ahead of the final programme this weekend.

FIXTURES

Wednesday: Chiefs v SuperSport, Peter Mokaba Stadium, 7.30pm; Pirates v Leopards, Orlando, 7.30pm

Saturday(all 3pm): Tuks v Chiefs, Mbombela; Pirates v Maritzburg, Orlando; Sundowns v Wits, Lucas Moripe Stadium; Swallows v Celtic, Dobsonville; Ajax v Arrows, Athlone; FS Stars v Leopards, Goble Park; AmaZulu v Chippa, Moses Mabhida Stadium; Platinum Stars v SuperSport, Royal Bafokeng

STANDINGS

P W D L F A Pts

Chiefs 28 15 11 2 47 19 56

Platinum 29 16 5 8 45 27 53

Pirates 28 13 10 5 33 19 49

Wits 29 11 10 8 32 30 43

Celtic 29 11 8 10 31 32 41

SuperSport 28 8 16 4 29 22 40

Swallows 29 11 6 12 40 40 39

Sundowns 29 9 11 9 29 25 38

Free State 29 9 11 9 29 30 38

Pretoria 29 7 16 6 33 29 37

Maritzburg 29 8 12 9 28 29 36

AmaZulu 29 7 11 11 21 33 32

Arrows 29 8 7 14 28 36 31

Ajax 29 6 10 13 31 46 28

Chippa 29 5 10 14 26 40 25

Leopards 28 5 8 15 31 56 23

TOP SCORERS

13 – Mashego (Swallows)

12 – Parker (Chiefs)

10 – Chenene (Swallows), Malajila (Maritzburg), Niang (Pretoria)

9 – Ngele (Platinum)

8 – Khenyeza (Ajax), Majoro (Chiefs), Ramagalela (Leopards), Qalanto (Chippa) – The Star

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