Coach is giving us more confidence, says Chiefs defender

Kaizer Chiefs’ combination play and ability to keep the ball on the ground in build-ups has improved markedly in recent games‚ centreback Daniel Cardoso says.

The defender hopes that can translate into a rare win for Chiefs in the Premier Soccer League (PSL)‚ where the ninth-placed team will be looking for a league double over Cape Town City at FNB Stadium on Wednesday (kickoff 6pm).

Chiefs beat Jan Olde Riekerink’s City, which is in seventh place, 2-1 in the first round at Cape Town Stadium in January. Despite their heroics in the Caf Champions League‚ where Amakhosi have reached a first-ever quarterfinal‚ Gavin Hunt’s team continue to be frustrated in the league.

They conceded a late equaliser against Baroka FC on Thursday that saw Chiefs notch a sixth draw in their past nine league matches — they have won just once and lost twice — as PSL points remain elusive for the battling Soweto giants.

Cardoso‚ though‚ said a run of eight matches unbeaten in all competitions is an indication that Chiefs are finally warming to Hunt’s tactics and combination play. “Obviously the draw right at the end of the weekend caught us a bit‚ but heads are up and spirits are up in the camp‚” the defender said.

“We’ve got Cape Town City on Wednesday. It’s not going to be an easy one — they are a very good ball-playing team. We saw that when we played them in Cape Town‚ where we managed to overcome them 2-1‚ but they started putting pressure on us towards the end and we held out.

“It is a home game‚ and I think we should be collecting the three points. We really need it at the moment. We need to start climbing up the league table. We’ve been doing well in Caf, but in the league we’ve been struggling a bit.

“City hardly play the long-ball‚ they play combination play. We are starting to come together nicely. As you can see in the past few games we’ve been playing a bit better.

“So the coach is giving us a bit more confidence at the moment.”

Chiefs have 25 points from 21 games and City 30 from 22, so a win for either team on Wednesday can play a role in the  midtable and top eight jostling.

City are coming off a resounding 3-0 home victory against sixth-placed SuperSport United on April 10 that ended a run of eight league and cup games without a win.