Kaizer Chiefs will get another chance to write a winning chapter in a season that has been hampered by a series of setbacks and missed opportunities, when they host TS Galaxy in a crucial Betway Premiership clash at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday (7pm kick-off).
The Glamour Boys have had several lingering issues that have stuck around without any intention of resolving. One of those has been their never-ending injury concerns, which have disrupted their season consistently. This has meant that Nasreddine Nabi has often not had a settled starting XI, even with seven games remaining in their season.
The latest injury to Bafana Bafana international Rushwin Dortley has set them back significantly, as his partnership with Inácio Miguel seemed to be working well in reducing the number of goals conceded. Thabo Cele was recently substituted at half-time in the clash against Golden Arrows this past Saturday, which they went on to lose 2-1.
Heading into their clash against Galaxy, Chiefs have conceded the third-highest number of goals in the Betway Premiership, and the growing concerns with their defence continues to be an issue they cannot afford to ignore, especially as they are not scoring enough goals at the other end.
Cele believes the club is in a crisis, but they also need to take responsibility as players for their inconsistency.
“You can call it a crisis. Even we as a team can do much better, and we are working on that,” Cele said on Thursday, while addressing the media.
“Eventually, something is going to come if we just keep working and believing in what we are doing. There are many positives that we can see; it’s a matter of being consistent and getting results.”
“We always look to control games, but sometimes we tend to lose control easily, and that is something that’s frustrating. But we are working on it. We have to maintain the control aspect and also improve in our final third so that we can create more chances.”
The hope, though, for Nabi and his charges is that, outside of the league, they will have a Nedbank Cup semi-final meeting against Mamelodi Sundowns to look forward to, even though they have already lost to the Brazilians three times this season.
Cele believes that, as much as they would like to win the trophy and break their decade-long wait for silverware, their full attention is on the upcoming encounter against the Rockets and seizing back control of their season.
“The Cup is important to us, for the fans, the club, and our families, but we also have an important game on Saturday, and we have to win that game. That is what we are focusing on right now. We are in the semi-finals now, and we want to get to the finals and eventually win the trophy.”
Amakhosi haven’t won a match in their last three league outings, and Cele added that the team has been working hard to address their shortfalls, as many of their losses have come down mostly to their mistakes.
“We haven’t won three games in a row, and those are the things we talk about amongst ourselves. Going into the next game, the only focus we have is to win three points. It has been difficult to get consistency.
"Even in the last game (against Arrows), we start well and end up giving the game away ourselves. The opposition doesn’t usually give us a lot of problems, but it’s just about us trying to fix our mistakes and improving so that we can get the results, and that is the most important thing at this moment of the season.”
The midfielder joined Chiefs during the January transfer window and has been the standout performer since then. He confirmed that he went off against Arrows due to a calf issue but is currently being assessed ahead of Saturday's match.