Baxter decries Chiefs stalemate with Galaxy: The jersey weighs heavily on players

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Stuart Baxter surprisingly said that because expectations are high at the club, some players cannot manage the pressure of wearing the Yellow and Black jersey.

His comments came after relegation threatened outfit TS Galaxy claimed a vital goalless draw against Amakhosi on Tuesday evening, three days after Baxter’s charges beat Chippa United convincingly.

The draw means Chiefs' hopes of catching DStv Premiership log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns are slowly fading away as they Brazilians boast a 12-point lead over third-place Amakhosi.

"They played with a lot of nerves, and we played with a lot of nerves. You just want to take away that anxiety," Baxter told reporters after the game.

"I don't think they are consciously thinking about the previous games with TS Galaxy. The game against Chippa, there was more energy there, it was more expansive and again, against Galaxy we did get more control of the game for two short periods.

"But a draw at home is not good enough for us."

Baxter continued: "When I was working with the England national teams, they used to say the England shirt can be heavy, it can weigh heavy.

"When you are not playing well and the expectations are high, it weighs heavy. This is a case with Chiefs.

"The expectations are high, and I think the process of not doing bad and being in the mix sometimes that gets forgotten because we want so much.

"We try to get our message across to the players so they can play freely and without anxiety. But it is a difficult one and it weighs heavy on the players sometimes."

Chiefs return to action next weekend (16 April) against SuperSport United.