Kaizer Chiefs coach, Stuart Baxter, says his team need to regain their mental strength, and that he doesn’t have any time for ‘cheap excuses’.

Chiefs lost 1-0 to Mpumalanga Black Aces last night thanks to a late goal from Miguel Timm, a result that saw the PSL title-holders relinquish their spot on top of the PSL to Mamelodi Sundowns.

The defeat was Amakhosi’s second defeat in five days, the first time that they’ve lost back-to-back games since Baxter took over as head coach.

Their head coach was not happy with the way the game went, telling the club’s official website, "We can play better tactically. We played ok at times but our finishing lacked composure. Our mental skills were poor. We were panicking and lacked discipline, which led to their goal. It was not a pleasant night for us.

"We do not want to bring that (excuses of fatigue) into the dressing room because you start to bring negativity into the situation. We don't want to make cheap excuses.”

When asked about whether his side can win the league, Baxter said, "Not in the way we are playing. I think everybody now must be licking their lips at the prospects of playing against us. We must get back our mental strength that was lacking. We must return to our mental strength and the sort of performance that we have given in the past 18 months,"

"We are finishing nervously. We seem to have anxiety and look tired in front of goals, but there’s no point to throw cups in the dressing room. The players know they must find it in themselves to give the performances that are conducive to win the league.”

Chiefs will now need to bounce back this weekend when they take on SuperSport United, as they look to maintain their defence of the Nedbank Cup title they won last season.