Middendorp reveals reason why Kaizer Chiefs collapsed in 2019/20 PSL title race against Mamelodi Sundowns
- The German led Amakhosi in one of the greatest meltdowns in PSL history
- Chiefs missed what looked like a golden opportunity for silverware
- The collapse allowed Mamelodi Sundowns to continue with their domestic dominance
WHAT HAPPENED? Kaizer Chiefs led the standings for the better part of the season and at one time were 12 points clear at the top. But they allowed Mamelodi Sundowns to launch a comeback and snatch the Premier Soccer League title on the last day of the season. Having last claimed any piece of silverware when they won the 2014/15 league title, it was a missed opportunity for the Soweto giants. PSL action was suspended due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown and Middendorp blames some of his former players for returning unfit.
WHAT THEY SAID: “We had no influence to keep players straight into the day-to-day program on what we had before,” Middendorp told iDiski Times.
“We had workshops twice a month with the players together to keep them in unison, and when the league was stopped in March until June, we had no control. We couldn’t influence everything in the right direction to put them together, and you could see already that only 14 days we prepared, we had them together, and you could see the physical side, you could see the mindset, you could see the brain was not directed in the way as we had them when the league was stopped with Covid-19 coming in March 2020.