Cape Town — With the DStv Premiership title seemingly out of their reach, Kaizer Chiefs assistant coach Arthur Zwane has identified the Nedbank Cup as the club's last chance for glory this season.
After Chiefs were drawn to play TS Galaxy in the Nedbank Cup first round, Zwane said he was cherishing the prospect of reaching the final and winning the trophy.
“We are a team that needs to grind results," said Zwane. "We were hoping and wishing that we will go as far as we want to in the (Nedbank) cup and be in the final and then bring it home. And why not win it - that is our aim.
“We’ll take one game at a time."
Zwane, who during his heyday was popularly known as ‘10111’, is also not ruling out Chiefs winning the league. It is an ideal that sounds far-fetched since log-leaders Mamelodi Sundowns have 16 points more at this halfway point in the Premiership.
If the rest of the season throws up some unexpected results for Sundowns, there could be a chance for Chiefs.
Two decades ago, Zwane was a stand-out player for Chiefs, when the club staged the famous 'Vat Alles' campaign in 2001. In that year, the club won five trophies, including the Mandela Cup.
"Yes, it looks like maybe it is out of reach, but we still believe that anything can happen," said Zwane.
"In football, anything can happen - that’s football. As you know, it’s never over until the fat lady sings.
"We will push (hard) in league games as well in the hope that the results will be in favour of us. That way we can be up there when the end of the season comes, competing for the No 1 spot. I think that is the goal for us."
Galaxy's new Serbian coach Sean Ramovic has made an impression on Zwane and he fears that they will pose a formidable threat, even though they are rock bottom on the Premiership standings. Their Nedbank round 32 clash will be in February and it will be a repeat of the 2018 final.
“We know we are playing a very difficult team," said Zwane. "Galaxy have a coach who is doing well. You can see they are playing from the back and trying to connect with the midfield and forwards.
“Their structure looks solid. They are going to be a difficult team to play, but I think we will be equal to the task.”
Ramovic said Chiefs, as a team, have a solid backbone and players with strong leadership skills. They are a tough team and Galaxy will enjoy the challenge.
Galaxy used the break to work on endurance and speed. Ramovic said the players also had a few talks so that players could improve their focus on the task at hand.
"We want to develop a winning mentality and learn to be clinical upfront," said Ramovic. "If we can achieve that we can be champions and be ready to give our opponents a tough time."
Meanwhile, Chiefs finally made a signing in the January window period. On Saturday, Chiefs signed 15-year-old Doornkop Students FC sensation Mfundo ‘Obrigado’ Vilakazi.
He was one of the players that captured the imagination of fans at the Philly's games, in Tembisa, during the festive period.
He will play for Chiefs' MultiChoice Diski Challenge team. In the past, he was part of Chiefs development teams (Under-15 and -17).
IOL Sport