JOHANNESBURG - We have seen this film before - Kaizer Chiefs go on an unbeaten run, the boo boys are silenced and there’s talk of an Absa Premiership title pursuit, before it all collapses.
The sequel was launched on Tuesday night when Amakhosi thumped a hapless Free State Stars 3-1 at FNB Stadium to extend their winning streak to three matches.
But sequels, by their very nature, tend to be quite underwhelming, and Chiefs have been in this scenario before when they put together five straight wins in all competitions in September and October, only for the wheels to come off, followed by loud calls for coach Steve Komphela to be sacked.
What is different this time?
“I think we need to speak to the mentality of the players,” said the coach following a victory that pushed Amakhosi to third place prior to Wednesday night’s matches. “We have to apply some kind of psychology to say we demand more because we were not content with what we gave.
"I think we can still bring in more intensity, passion and excitement. The minute we start saying we are okay, then we are sending the wrong message. Here and there we played with passion. But we have to demand a complete performance in the next match.”
Chiefs next face Maritzburg United away at the Harry Gwala Stadium, a tricky fixture usually for the Glamour Boys against Komphela’s old team, which has recently appointed Roger de Sa as head coach.
For Amakhosi to stay with the title chasing pack, the trip to Maritzburg is a must-win, much like the Polokwane City and Golden Arrows games before.
“Maybe we need to be tested a bit more to be able to be consistent. With due respect to Free State Stars, we could have had more than the three goals we scored,” said Komphela, pictured.
“This tells you that you then need to be more professional in your approach. There were moments when we showed excitement and passion, and then it faded. I have said before that when you are at Chiefs, you always need to be better.
“You could win 29 matches, but if there is someone who has won 30, then you are still not good enough. There’s an observation that the mood has been better after the last three games. Our focus is different because we want to do better than the first half of the season.”
By the halfway point, Amakhosi had picked up the pieces of a campaign that appeared to be taking a turn for the worse when they failed to win in eight successive matches in the league and the Telkom Knockout, having been booted out by the self same Stars on penalties in the quarter-final stages.
“If the fans feel relaxed, then as a team we are much happier. But we cannot be in a comfort zone because that can bring about complacency and mediocrity,” said Komphela. “At this stage you cannot afford to drop points. It has a huge psychological impact.”
@superjourno