Bobby Motaung Reveals Reason Behind Kaizer Chiefs’ Poor Form Under Fernando da Cruz

• Kaizer Chiefs football manager Bobby Motaung pointed to an extended FIFA international break as the reason behind the club's recent struggles
• The Glamour Boys have gone winless in their last four league matches and sit 11 points behind log leaders Orlando Pirates
• A football analyst pushed back on Motaung's explanation, arguing that rival clubs were not similarly affected by the break

Kaizer Chiefs football manager Bobby Motaung has offered his explanation for the Glamour Boys' dip in form this season, attributing the team's inconsistency to an extended FIFA international break that he says disrupted a promising early run.

Speaking to Robert Marawa, Motaung reflected on the club's trajectory under head coach Fernando Da Cruz, arguing that momentum built during pre-season and the opening weeks of the campaign was derailed by a lengthy pause in the fixture schedule.

Motaung Points to Timing of the Break

"I think if you know the game of football, if you've been in the game of football for years or for the time that I've been in football, there are a lot of impacts," Motaung said. "Remember, we had a pre-season, came back, we had a good start, we thought we were on the roll. Then we had a three-week break, and you had injuries. Then you had a three-week break, where with the intensity that we had and the momentum, it broke."

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Chiefs have not won in their last four league matches. Among those results was a loss to arch-rivals Orlando Pirates in the Soweto Derby, a result that highlighted the gap between the two clubs in the standings. Amakhosi currently trail Orlando Pirates by 11 points at the top of the table.

Despite the poor run, the club's hierarchy has maintained its confidence in Da Cruz. Sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jr. reaffirmed last week that the French coach retained full support from management, even following the club's exit from the CAF Confederation Cup.

Analyst Disputes Motaung's Reasoning

Football analyst Moses Mbogo, speaking exclusively to Briefly News, questioned the validity of Motaung's argument, noting that the international break applied equally to all teams in the league.

"I don't agree with Motaung on this, the break was for all the teams, he can claim it affected them while their direct rivals, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns, are still waxing stronger," Mbogo said. "I just think they need consistency, da Cruz need to find a fixed starting line up, and work on their goalscoring ability, because they missed a lot of chances in the Soweto derby."

With several league fixtures still to play, Chiefs will need to find their footing quickly if they are to remain relevant in the title conversation.

Source: Briefly News