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Cape Town - It came as no surprise to Ernst Middendorp that taking the Kaizer Chiefs hotseat would come with a heavy weight of expectation and he believes winning the Nedbank Cup is a requirement not a luxury.
Due to a rocky start to the season under the chaotic leadership of Giovanni Solinas, Amakhosi have zero chance of lifting the Absa Premiership title this season.
However, under the leadership of Middendorp - since he took over in December, Chiefs have seen a resurgence and will meet Chippa United in the Nedbank Cup semi-final this weekend.
While Middendorp believes winning the cup outright would not lift any pressure off himself - as the club and its fans demand non-stop success - it would serve to give a well needed lift to the beleaguered giant of the South African game.
When asked if winning the Nedbank Cup would make his life easier, he responded: "No I don't think so‚" Middendorp told TimesLIVE website.
"It's nothing new. I jumped in here in December. That's what I did on the 9th of December. And OK‚ the fantastic thing was that no-one had to tell me what is expected‚ and that you will get hammered if you are not successful without winning a cup or winning a championship in the near future.
"That's very clear. There's no doubt about it at all. I know this. I'm aware about it.
"You build up your confidence. You build up as a player‚ as a technical team‚ as a team in general.
"So‚ all this stuff – of course‚ with each and every result‚ with every winning game‚ and probably a good performance in addition‚ it's definitely something."
