Kaizer Chiefs’ new coach Ernst Middendorp was delighted to have got his tenure off to a winning start on Wednesday night.
The German-born tactician's appointment was met with a relatively negative response by fans, but Chiefs’ 1-0 win over SuperSport United, courtesy of Geroge Maluleka, would certainly endear him a little more to the Amakhosi faithful.
"We played well and had opportunities to score more goals," Middendorp was quoted as saying by Sport24.
"I am well aware of the demands of the supporters, but I have one task in mind and that is to bring success to Kaizer Chiefs,” he added.
"I am putting in all my energy to get the job done. It feels good to see the supporters happy,” he said.
"Football is no longer a one-man show, there’s so much responsibility," he explained.
"A lot is also about leadership and the way the team is organised,” Middendorp continued.
Meanwhile, Chiefs’ attention now shifts onto their continental bout against Madagascar’s Elgeco Plus on the weekend.
Middendorp though reveals that while he hopes to field a similar team in the Caf Confederation Cup encounter, due to the unavailability of certain players, he will be forced to change some things around.
"I prefer not to change the starting line-up that much. For example, Kgotso Moleko is a good player - however, he’s not registered for CAF, which means that he won’t be available for our next two games and that’s a pity,” he said.
"I don’t know at this stage how we will cover the right-back position in CAF with Ramahlwe Mphahlele out injured. But from the footage I saw, Daniel Cardoso came on after 'Rama' got injured and did well, so that’s an option,” he suggested.
"The progress will be steady and will not go smooth at all times. For now, it's one game at the time," he concluded.
