Despite reaching the Telkom Knockout Cup semi-finals, Kaizer Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp refuses to start dreaming but he is focusing on their next Premier Soccer League (PSL) match against Chippa United on Wednesday night.
The German manager’s troops are fresh from a win over rivals Orlando Pirates and the coach has stated he is not responsible for the club’s trophy drought.
On the other hand, the Amakhosi boss has credited their progress saying they are heading towards the right path as they look to improve on their 2018/19 run.
“We seem to be heading in the right direction but at the moment I’m not dreaming, I’m thinking about the next game, which is against Chippa in Port Elizabeth,” Middendorp told reporters as quoted by Independent Media.
“I have nothing to do with the past four years. I only came here in December 2018. I’ve been here for the past 11 months.
“We definitely had some changes to make. We had a very clear target at the start of the season. We wanted to do much better than last season.”
As they have secured seven wins in the league plus two in the TKO Cup competition, the 61-year-old believes their winning run has restored confidence in his squad.
“When you win, you build confidence. Game after game your confidence grows. You can see even if you go to a penalty shoot-out, players don’t run away,” he added.
“They are raising their hands and saying, ‘I’ll take the first one and I’ll take the last one’.
“This is a very clear indication that confidence is building up. We are heading in the right direction.”
Looking at the bottom-placed Chilli Boys, they are yet to bag a win in their league campaign and coach Norman Mapeza will look to end Chiefs’ winning run as they are still licking their wounds from their loss to Mamelodi Sundowns.
Should Chiefs win the clash set to be staged at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Wednesday night, they will consolidate their top spot with 25 points from 10 league matches.