Posted in News, Team News on Aug 28, 2020.
“We were well organised, and with a little composure in their final third we could have taken away something from the game,” says a visibly disappointed Ernst Middendorp. “We wanted to win this match. We threw everything we’ve got available in it to try and get a result. And without two of our main strikers Leonardo Castro (injured) and Samir Nurković (suspended), the solutions we came up with were not successful on the day.”
Chiefs recorded their fifth match of the season in the bio-safe environment (BSE) when they went down 0-1 to Mamelodi Sundowns on Thursday night.
“We had a player like Lebogang Manyama returning after missing our match against Stellenbosch,” adds Middendorp, “We needed him for this game, but you could see he was not a hundred percent fit, but he fought hard trying to help the team. We are playing under the bio-bubble condition that is taking its toll on the players. All the teams are facing the same conditions anyway, so it is what it is. We will go back to the training field to prepare for the next match.”
Sundowns with their first half goal clearly packed their defence when they realised Amakhosi’s threat coming their way. “We threw everything at them to try and salvage the game,” says Middendorp. “They defended well and secured a victory. It is still up to us to lift ourselves up and win the remaining matches. We are happy Nurković will be back upfront to add some power against Bidvest Wits.
“Playing in this environment is tough for the players. As it is now, we come out of the clash with Dumsani Zuma suffering a tight muscle too. We will see how it goes with him before the Sunday clash. All is not lost; we remain focused and we will get back to the winning ways.”
Chiefs will turn the attention to Sunday, 30 August when they face Bidvest Wits at FNB Stadium. Kick-off is at 15:30.
Chiefs recorded their fifth match of the season in the bio-safe environment (BSE) when they went down 0-1 to Mamelodi Sundowns on Thursday night.
“We had a player like Lebogang Manyama returning after missing our match against Stellenbosch,” adds Middendorp, “We needed him for this game, but you could see he was not a hundred percent fit, but he fought hard trying to help the team. We are playing under the bio-bubble condition that is taking its toll on the players. All the teams are facing the same conditions anyway, so it is what it is. We will go back to the training field to prepare for the next match.”
Sundowns with their first half goal clearly packed their defence when they realised Amakhosi’s threat coming their way. “We threw everything at them to try and salvage the game,” says Middendorp. “They defended well and secured a victory. It is still up to us to lift ourselves up and win the remaining matches. We are happy Nurković will be back upfront to add some power against Bidvest Wits.
“Playing in this environment is tough for the players. As it is now, we come out of the clash with Dumsani Zuma suffering a tight muscle too. We will see how it goes with him before the Sunday clash. All is not lost; we remain focused and we will get back to the winning ways.”
Chiefs will turn the attention to Sunday, 30 August when they face Bidvest Wits at FNB Stadium. Kick-off is at 15:30.
