On the status of the Kaizer Chiefs camp following the COVID outbreak:

Since the outbreak, as everybody knows, we had challenges. A lot of players were not available. This week we had at least 90% of the guys, if not 95%, available. Others we are still trying to manage. They still need seven days or so to be ready to compete. So far so good. Those who are available to represent the team are looking forward to the game (against Royal AM) and they look much better than they have over the last two weeks. We’re hoping that we will be able to come up with the desired result, regardless of the situation. Many players are still not 100 percent for various reasons, but it’s good to see the boys back and eager to showcase their God-given talents, with the hope that we will get everything right. Those that are not available this week, should be available against Maritzburg. Going forward, at least we have a very long break that will allow us to have everyone back when we start the second round of the league.

Managing expectations after a good win against Sekhukhune United:

The good thing is we are dealing with players who know the importance of being a 24-hour pro. They are very humble and always want to give their best. They know the importance of remaining humble when things are rosy for you. We are trying to control the situation. We know as a team we are not yet where we want to be in terms of fitness levels, way of playing and that chemistry, but we’re getting there slowly. Hopefully, when we come back for the second round of the season we would have covered those areas that we were lacking. We did not have a pre-season and a lot of players with injuries and long layoffs. Some of them are back, some are still finding their feet, which is difficult. At least this break will give us the opportunity of welcoming everyone back and to play practice matches preparing for the second round.

On Mamelodi Sundowns’ league lead:

We can only do ourselves a favour by focusing on ourselves, more than on what other teams are doing, and to take one game at a time. If we don’t put ourselves under pressure we will be able to get the results in each and every game that we play. Whatever happens on the other side, whether they keep on winning or whether they start dropping points, we should not put that in our heads. We should just run our own race at our own pace and focus on what we want to achieve. One of the things that we want to achieve is to go back to the CAF Champions League. That’s the ultimate goal. If we can achieve that as a team then it will give us a better position in terms of competing at that level again and to come back home now and see who we can add in terms of playing personnel. So that we know we have an equally good squad that can compete on the African continent and also domestically.

On facing Royal AM:

In the first round, we were caught napping. We played against the name, forgetting we played against Bloemfontein Celtic. We played against Royal AM. Now, we can see what they can do. We know them. They have been together for some time and they are a good team. They pose a danger to any team that campaigns in the PSL, because of that togetherness they have. They’re a hard-working team. They’ve got flair, they’ve got very good players, highly technical players. We’ve planned for them and hopefully, we will be able to execute that plan.

On the approach against Royal AM:

We will also give them something to think about. They are a team that attacks non-stop. We will find a way to manage them when they try to attack us. I don’t think this time around they will come out guns blazing. They will be a little bit cautious because we are also not just going to be sitting at the back and forming a block for them to attack us. We will take the game to them. It is going to be a pound for pound game. Obviously, the best team will win. We will also have our ammunition and a way of using them to make sure we punish them. If we can get two or three goals, that will do for us, with the hope that we don’t concede.