After his team's 1-0 loss to Red Arrows in the CAF Confederation Cup, Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando Da Cruz explained his decision to substitute Mfundo Vilakazi.

Although the young attacker had been one of Chiefs' better performers that day, supporters were questioning the decision to substitute him midway through the match. Perhaps some supporters thought the team could have benefited from more attacking chances had they kept him on the field longer in their quest for a goal.

Nevertheless, Da Cruz has provided an explanation for his decision, stating that Vilakazi was exhausted and required a replacement with more experience. If the Chiefs' coach is to be believed, he made the change so his team would have more pep to compete.

"We wanted a fresh player because Mfundo Vilakazi was tired," Da Cruz explained after the game. No goal was conceded by our team until Vilakazi was substituted.

In addition, the coach denied that benching Vilakazi was the main reason the team lost. He argued that the goal shouldn't be attributed to the substitution and brought attention to the fact that Red Arrows scored from a corner kick.

Even after falling behind, Kaizer Chiefs kept trying to score, but they couldn't crack the opposition's defense, as Da Cruz explained.

"Just look at that one corner. "It was a little bit difficult, but we tried again to create chances after the goal," he added.

Several players were complaining of exhaustion, the coach said, so he thought the squad could use some replacements. He thought the Chiefs needed to make some substitutions in the second half if they wanted to keep playing.

Some of our players were exhausted, so we needed more young blood on the field, Da Cruz argued.

Even after he explains it, supporters will probably still be talking about the decision to replace Vilakazi. The young attacker's technical skill and imagination have garnered him praise, which is encouraging because both can help a team find a way back into a game.

But the coach also has to think about the players' health when deciding when to make adjustments.

After suffering their second loss of the CAF Confederation Cup, Kaizer Chiefs must move on to their next task if they want to improve upon their previous showing.

Fans will keep looking at whether Da Cruz's tactical choices are getting the team the results they need, even though he has made his reasons apparent.

Source; https://www.facebook.com/100089878196925/posts/1075405038798759/?app=fbl