Pitch conditions force Chiefs to play ugly – Cardoso
Kaizer Chiefs defender Daniel Cardoso has admitted that the team are not playing attractive football associated with the club since its inception.
Kaizer Chiefs defender Daniel Cardoso happy with new Amakhosi role. (Picture: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix)
Cardoso says they are currently more reliant on “route one football”, but that it is sometimes the condition of the fields that force them to play a style that the supporters are unhappy with.
READ: Chiefs not worried about other title-chasers – Cardoso
Speaking ahead of their Nedbank Cup Last 16 tie against Highlands Park at Makhulong Stadium in Tembisa on Saturday afternoon, Cardoso warned that the game might not be easy on the eye.
“Highlands Park are a team who run. You know Owen (Da Gama) loves a running team, their fitness is great and they are a good team. They also play the route one ball. It is something we have also done a lot. It is not our style and some people are starting to get upset because of our style saying we are just kicking balls up front,” he said.
“But we have two big strikers and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Maybe we have to change our game plan a little. And also, our fields have been pretty shocking with all the events happening. If you look at Cape Town Stadium, the tennis that happened there messed up the field a bit.
“So, it depends on the field sometimes. You’ve seen Makhulong Stadium, it is a difficult field to play on. The ball bubbles everywhere so it also tempers with our playing style,” explained the Amakhosi player.
Amakhosi have played a number of games that were not as entertaining as games involving a big club should be even on fields as pristine as at FNB Stadium and Moses Mabhida Stadium. Their recent home Nedbank Cup game against Royal Eagles is one such example.
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