Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter believes his team lack coordination in their penalty shootout loss to Mamelodi Sundowns on Sunday.
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Amakhosi found themselves 2-0 down inside the opening 23 minutes of their MTN8 quarter-final against Sundowns, and Baxter admitted his side was made to chase the ball.
“We didn’t have any real co-ordination in our pressing play, and we went chasing the ball a little bit,” Baxter told the media.
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“It meant they dominated the first 10 minutes big time, and the goal didn’t help us,” he said.
“I thought we were getting better but I didn’t like that we started to press higher without coordination or any real instruction from the bench.
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“So, we changed it back to be more compact. It worked better for us,” he explained.
Baxter felt Sundowns doubled their lead with Chiefs a little bit better in their play, and he gave credit to the opponents for their dominant period.
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“But then the second goal came in a better period for us. At that point, we could’ve caved, going down 2-0 against the champions in the first game, I thought they should get credit for that,” continued Baxter.
Chiefs ended the first half on a high, and looked better and comfortable on the ball in the second 45 minutes, and Baxter said either side could have won the match in regulation time.
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“We were better before half-time and scored. In the second half, we were better all around. Our quality in possession was better. It could’ve gone either way in normal time,” he added.
The 67-year-old mentor feels both teams weren’t at their best in extra time, and he again gave credit to Sundowns players for holding their nerve in the shootout.
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“Extra time is fatigue. It’s very difficult for the players. Penalties… It is what it is, they held their nerve, and I wish them all the best,” concluded Baxter.
