Snl24 | Johnson explains Chiefs collapse against Sundowns

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – APRIL 02: Kaizer Chiefs head coach Cavin Johnson during the DStv Premiership match between Kaizer Chiefs and Stellenbosch FC at FNB Stadium on April 02, 2024 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Gallo Images)

Kaizer Chiefs interim coach Cavin Johnson has explained what they did wrong after a 5-1 hammering by Mamelodi Sundowns.

Chiefs managed to hold out to a goalless draw at half-time after the red-card of Given Msimango early in the first stanza.

However, two quick goals from Sundowns early in the second stanza became too much for Amakhosi, as the floodgates opened.

READ | OFFICIAL: Downs clinch league title with Chiefs thrashing

“It’s hard to give thoughts now but firstly congratulations to Sundowns, they won the league today and ja I think we as Kaizer Chiefs we had a good first-half until we got the red-card and coming into the second-half, we held them for a long time in the first-half, where they really didn’t do us anything,” Johnson said on SuperSport.

“But then because of the one man down I thought later in the game in the second-half we lost a little bit of legs. We tried to do it but I thought late in the second-half we dropped a little bit too deep. We tried to push the players up and quality players found the holes and scored the goals, so ja what can we do?

“We have to go back and work we still have four games left to play for and we have to play the best we can, we cannot come like this, closer to the end of the game we don’t have the energy or the will power to maintain the way we played in the first half.”

Johnson also gave his thoughts on Yusuf Maart playing in an unfamiliar right-back position and suggested that it was not an instruction from the technical team for the defence to play too deep in the second stanza.

“We thought he had done well, in all the moments after that, before half-time I thought he did very well. Our back-four was very solid, except that later in the second-half they started dropping and that was the wrong thing to do because we were forcing them to go forward, they didn’t go forward but we have to live to work another day,” he said.

The former SuperSport United coach went on and stressed the importance of finishing in the top eight.

“We have to play for that, Chiefs have to play for that. They know we have to play for that. We have to get there. It’s one of the things we have to maintain in order to start the following season on a high note,” he added.

You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.

Click HERE to register!

Get the best in Soccer, News and Lifestyle content with SNL24 PLUS

For 14 free days, you can have access to the best from Soccer Laduma, KickOff, Daily Sun, TrueLove and Drum. Thereafter you will be billed R29 per month. You can cancel anytime and if you cancel within 14 days you won’t be billed.