Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter is preparing for the crunch DStv Premiership clash with Chippa United at FNB Stadium on Saturday, both teams finding themselves near the foot of the table.

The expected turnaround in fortunes for Chiefs has yet to materialise, placing Baxter and the players under pressure but he hopes the international break can work as a reset ahead of what will be another tough encounter.

“We have been working to stop the one or two mistakes we are making in our games. It changes the total perception when you give away a silly goal or miss three or four chances to score,” Baxter said ahead of the match.

“We got all the players back today [Thursday], so had a full session. The lads coming back from Bafana Bafana are in good spirits and they are OK [physically]. The other lads that came back are also fully fit, they have all trained fine.

“Unfortunately, Lebo Manyama has broken down again, so he is back to square one. Samir [Nurkovic], Siya [Ngenzana] and [Leonardo] Castro are all working hard, [Dumisani] Zuma too. But those players are nowhere near playing.

“With the international break, sometimes when it comes you are thinking you can kick-on, and sometimes you have injuries and you think it will help us.

“We are trying to do work together, but we have also been together for a relatively short period of time. We want all the time we can get as a group, we want the new players to get used to what we want.

“We are fighting against a mental problem, will the players keep confident and stay trying to do the right things, or will they feel the pressure. If we can spend enough time together, we can crack it.

“I don’t think he (Njabulo Ngcobo) did a bad job for Bafana (against Ethiopia). There were certainly players that were worse than he was.

“You can look at him either as a skilful centre-back, or a defensively strong midfield player. He is versatile enough to play both those competitions. He can be virtually a third centre-back, to drop back in when you are defending.

“So he gives us options, and it is not something I want to throw away without giving a good look at it. So we will see. Can he play both positions and strengthen the squad that way?

“They have shown they are quite resilient (in coping with poor start to the season); you have to be mentally strong if you are playing for Kaizer Chiefs. You are under the microscope much more if you are a Chiefs player, and social media means you are either a hero or a zero.

“But having said that, I would like their mental strength to be stronger, though we have come back from being down and they have shown that resilience.

“I am not one of those coaches that makes those targets (at start of the season), I have never been a fan if it. I think it brings in anxiety. But I will say I wanted more points than we have.

“I don’t think we are far off getting it right though, it is a 10 per cent up or down. It is not like we need to improve 50 per cent. The margins are small, but the effect is big.

On rotation of the team, Baxter said: “We have settled a little bit, not on giving Daniel the No 1 [jersey] but allowing him to throw down a marker. We need experience, he has been playing well and playing for his national team.

“He has not taken the shirt [as his own], but there is no real reason to be rotating at this moment.

Can Chiefs restore their former glories and win trophies, like the last time you were at Naturena?

“One thing you have to think about, we are living in different times now and I don’t mean Covid-19.

“The standard of coaching now [in the PSL] is better, more teams are well organised and can all beat each other. The other bigger teams have pushed on more than Chiefs.

“It will take more time for us to find that edge and move away from the competition, to move into the position of a Bayern Munich [who dominate their local league].

“Is there the potential to do it? Yes, but it will not be as easy as last time.”

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