DURBAN – Kaizer Chiefs boss Steve Komphela compared the upcoming Christmas break to the Fifa break, as his side won’t get enough time to rest.
Amakhosi finished the first round on a high note, winning their last two games.
Chiefs are second on the log with 22 points after 15 league outings. They trail Mamelodi Sundowns by eight points at the top of the log.
Amakhosi triumphed 1-0 against Ajax Cape Town at the iconic Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday.
“We are not going to break off, but we are just going to give them the break out. Today is done and they will be off, and they will be back on Wednesday.
“We will train Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and then we give them days, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and we are back again Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
“So we won’t rest, but we will have few days in between Christmas and New Year. From there we will resume on the second (January) and resume and prepare for SuperSport United.
“You have to prioritise, it is an awkward season. It is not even a minor recess,” Komphela explained.
Amakhosi will face Matsatsantsa on January 6 in their first Absa Premiership assignment next year.
“It is just that break and you can’t let them go. If you are allowing them to go for Christmas and New Year’s and you are having the match on the sixth.
“If you are looking to prioritise and you start looking at the match count looking backwards – even if you wanted to only train for the match on the sixth, when do you start, on the first? It is New Year’s Day.
“On the second, they are still tired and fatigued. You’ve got four days and you’ve got SuperSport on Saturday. So there’s no time.
Full time score: (Zuma 85') Kaizer Chiefs 1 : 0 Ajax Cape Town.
Absa Man of The Match: Siyabonga Ngezana. #AbsaPrem #KCOneTeam
— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) December 16, 2017
“We are professionals. Entertainers are like your maestro, the audience is here, you give your best. The rest of the people came to Durban, and the next day, you are in Johannesburg. Entertainers don’t sleep,” Komphela elaborated.
Chiefs endured another bad year as they finished 2017 without silverware, and 2018 will be vital for Chiefs and Komphela as his current contract with Chiefs will expire in June.
“All that we do is honour our commitment and responsibilities, and while the rest of the world has fun, we entertain the world and we are not being entertained,” Komphela said.
Chiefs have already commenced their transfer activities. This past weekend, the club confirmed the arrival of Leonardo Castro, who will join the club next month from Sundowns.
“This break feels like an international break, where as you are about to get momentum and then there is a stoppage.
“We hope we will keep the momentum. We have to go for a minor recess, and we will be back again on the sixth against SuperSport. We will come back again and try to fight,” Komphela concluded.
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