Ernst Middendorp of Kaizer Chiefs (Photo by Anesh Debiky/Gallo Images)
The loss left their coach Ernst Middendorp sweating under the collar trying to explain why his team can no longer get some momentum going.
READ: Middendorp slams ‘casual’ Chiefs stars after shock AmaZulu defeat
Having beat Orlando Pirates in a game were the odds were staked against them, it was expected that Amakhosi would cruise past a relegation troubled Usuthu. But under rookie coac Ayanda Dlamini, Usuthu brought a fight and stole the three points.
Answering a question on why his team have failed to get a winning run going since the turn of the year, Middendorp gave a lengthy lecture on how he never said his team were gunning for the Absa Premiership title.
“I don’t know why you are putting it like that. It is normal all over the world that you go a number of games and you produce good results and get to a good position. And then there are games where opponents come with a different approach. Yes, some players here and there are not producing the performances but this is normal it is not unusual. I know it’s a marathon and now it is about staying in the league for the teams in the bottom and for the teams at the top it is about winning the league.
The 61-year-old German mentor said is team remains focused on the job at hand and are not thinking too far ahead as they look to regroup after the Usuthu embarrassment.
“We never gave the opinion nor produced the feeling (that we would win the league), and I keep saying it again and again… we come from position nine (last season) and we mustn’t believe we are kings of anything. We have our quality and te right mindset which has to be brought in in totality. I am not fantasizing about winning the league and I never brought this feeling. It is a race; it is a marathon till the end of the season. Nothing is decided today, we have to regroup and look into the next game,” he said.
For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.