Middendorp not ready to ‘play mind games’

by Graeme Jackson

Thursday Aug 27, 2020. 11:00

Kaizer Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp has stated that he has no desire to “play mind games” ahead of this evening’s crunch Absa Premiership clash with Mamelodi Sundowns.

Chiefs and Sundowns will meet at the Orlando Stadium with the title potentially on the line: a win for the Amakhosi would see them move six points clear with three games to play, while the Brazilians will be hoping to draw level on points and set up a thrilling finale to the league season over the next week and a half.

After defeating Golden Arrows 1-0 with a last-minute winner earlier this week (their first victory since the restart), Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane claimed the league is Chiefs’ to lose – taking pressure off his own team, and engaging in some psychological warfare.

However, Chiefs coach Middendorp refused to engage in a war of words and says his focus is very much on his own team.

“There’s a very clear understanding and it’s nice, if you want to play mind games, talk to Micho [Sredojevic] or other guys [about] what happened in the past,” Middendorp told the media, as quoted by Kick-Off.

“We have our focus to our team, we don’t have to answer what somebody is putting into the public, that’s not [necessary].

“We know what we want, we have our focus and we have a very clear understanding of what is at stake, and that’s it as far as going into the game.

“It’s not about playing a mind game before and after and in between, we have our position, we know its a huge game, we respect each and everybody that’s part of the club’s core values and we respect the other one, do it in the right way, with the right focus and that’s how we deal here with it. There’s no sort of discussion just because somebody said something.”