POLOKWANE - A mere three matches into the 2018/2019 Absa Premiership campaign and new Kaizer Chiefs coach Giovanni Solinas is seemingly feeling the pressure already. Yet to register a win in the league, Amakhosi's Italian coach was lamenting the fixture list as too tight and not conducive to human beings.
"This fixture, this calendar is for robots, not a human being. It’s not possible to play every two days and travel,” Solinas said deep in the bowels of the Peter Mokaba Stadium following Chiefs' 1-1 draw with Baroka FC.
It was Amakhosi's second draw after they opened the season with what was then viewed as an impressive result at league champions Mamelodi Sundowns. But a 3-1 defeat by Bidvest Wits and last night's draw with Bakgaga means Solinas is yet to get a league win and the Italian looked to shift the blame.
“We travelled for four hours, no time for recovery and no time for training to fix some of the issues with the team. So it’s a big problem. But this is the schedule and we accept,” he said as he reviewed a match Chiefs could easily have lost had Baroka used their scoring opportunities well.
And then the Amakhosi coach incredibly put his foot in it by claiming his team are tired from the tight schedule that will see them take on Maritzburg United on Friday. “In the second half, we were fatigued and Baroka had a big advantage, because they did not play on Saturday. They are fresh and my players played on Saturday, travel and no time for recovery, no time for training, so in the end of the game, we feel a little fatigued,” Solinas stated.
The sooner Solinas understands that he is at a club whose schedule is going to require them to play about three matches a week, the better his chances of lasting in the job. After all, Chiefs still have the Caf Confederation Cup to contend with later in the year.
Yesterday we played @KaizerChiefs
we tried our best but unfortunately our best was not enough.
The game as 1-1 draw.
We now have to get up and prepare for @polokwane_city this coming weekend. pic.twitter.com/xrfXQFZcC4
— Baroka Football Club (@Baroka_FC) August 15, 2018