Royal AM head coach Khabo Zondo says his side has taken lessons from the likes of Kaizer Chiefs with regards to their approach in the CAF Confederation Cup in the upcoming season.
The KZN-based outfit's third place finish in the 2021/22 DStv Premiership season saw them qualify for the Confed Cup for the first time in their history.
The club's new man at the helm in Zondo has opened up on the plans to deal with both continental and domestic competitions, stating that the KZN outfit is looking to safeguard against falling into the trap that Chiefs did after reaching the 2019/20 CAF Champions League final.
"We have sat down with management, and we looked at the numbers in terms of the paying personnel that we have. We want to compete equally both in CAF games and in the PSL," he told journalists at the Premier's Cup launch in Durban.
"The games that are played in CAF competitions might be slightly different or a bit more aggressive than what we have here, so it's a different challenge which we will relish of course. It will make us grow. If its winnable, yes let's go out and win it. But if its not it should not be a train smash. Where we need to be is in the PSL and competing the same way we did last season.
"I mean there are clubs that went to CAF and when they came back home, they suffered, and we want to bring in that balance. They gave us a lesson through what those clubs did when they came back from CAF. One of them is Kaizer Chiefs, you can see how long it is taking them to recover. [Mamelodi] Sundowns... maybe have they have enough playing personnel of high quality. This is what we have to bring in the club and make sure that we compete evenly with the other clubs. One should bring in that balance where players who are left at home should also be able to play PSL matches and win them," he concluded.
