Zwane: Crowd reminds Chiefs players of responsibility  | The Citizen

Kaizer Chiefs players will have to look around the Harry Gwala Stadium on Friday night to be reminded of the responsibility on their shoulders, says coach Arthur Zwane. 

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The stadium is expected to be packed to capacity when Chiefs visit Maritzburg United to wrestle for a spot in the next round of the Nedbank Cup. 

The game was sold out three days earlier and Zwane says the big crowd will play a huge role for his Chiefs side.

“The stadium will be packed to capacity, and that can be a plus for us,” says Zwane ahead of the game set for a 7.30pm start. 

“The players will go onto the field knowing they have a huge responsibility on their shoulders.

“It’s a task we are going to have to fulfil, that of going to the next round,” added the Chiefs mentor.

Chiefs have gone on an embarrassingly long run without trophies and Ke Yona provides another window for the Soweto giants to tilt the monkey off their shoulders. 

Zwane says he has prepared the team to the best of his abilities. And he knows it will not be an easy game.

“On our side when it comes to preparations we have prepared well, like we usually do. 

“As a club, we always want to win every competition we take part in. This is no different. It’s not going to be easy for us. 

“We are playing away against a team who have been revived by a new coach who has come in and has been doing tremendously well. 

“They’ve assembled a good squad and we are expecting a very, very difficult match against Maritzburg United,” says Zwane. 

Injuries derailing Chiefs

With the task of guiding Amakhosi back to their former glory days already a difficult one, Zwane has had to contend with constant injuries. 

“That has been our challenge since the beginning of the season, to keep the first XI and build on it. 

“We’ve been hampered by injuries and other situations beyond our control, in terms of managing the squad. 

“When some get injured, it gives others the opportunity to play. We’ve done well, we managed to keep everyone on their toes. 

“Injuries or no injuries, at the end of the day we have to prepare the 11 players who will start, plus substitutes coming from the bench and impacting the game in our favour.

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“So we balance the scales. So far it’s not bad, given that we have a lot of new players in the squad, trying to adapt and trying to understand what Kaizer Chiefs is all about. 

“Some are only now realising that Kaizer Chiefs are a huge brand. And that they have to settle in very quickly, because of the demands of playing for a club of Kaizer Chiefs’ calibre.”