The Chicago Fire’s situation is not a good one at all. The red team has chained together a streak of four straight losses and six out the last seven, sounding the alarms among the supporters. Such is not the case for manager Veljko Paunovic, who claims his team is not in a crisis.
“The Fire are not in crisis, it is in a situation in which it needs to react. It is a long season, and all teams go through these moments. We are searching for the exact reasons to fix the situation. We are working on it daily, we have a team that wants to react to feel like champions and enjoy the game,” said the Serbian manager.
This negative streak includes two consecutive losses at home, the great bastion that supported the Fire’s great season, in which it reached a club-record nine consecutive victories.
“It is normal in a season for the bad results to come at any moment and create doubt in people, but we do not doubt ourselves, and we are sure we will qualify for the playoffs. We will fix this, we still have time and we depend on ourselves,” said Paunovic.
More Top Picks Le Creuset Vs Lodge Dutch Ovens
From adding up 11 matches without a loss, the team has gone on to collect only three points out of the last 21 possible, and that is being reflected in the standings (41 points), where the Fire have descended from the top of the Eastern Conference to fourth place, putting in serious risk its chances of finishing among the top six and punching its ticket to the playoffs in reference to those who lurk behind: New York Red Bulls (39 points and one match to play), Atlanta United (36 points and two matches to play), and Montreal Impact (36 points and one match to play).
“There is no place for cowards here. What we have is the desire to enter the playoffs, not fear. And we are working on that,” said Paunovic.
The lack of goals from is leading scorer, Nemanja Nikolic, who has had eight matches with no firepower (has not scored since July 1), and its defensive weakness could be the key to the collapse of the Fire.
“The key is to win the matches, with Niko scoring again or other scoring, and the other key is not giving up goals. We allow too many innocent goals. That is something that cannot happen,” says Paunovic.
The Fire visits Montreal this Saturday before hosting the Red Bulls, two crucial matches that could define the team’s future.
“Every game is a final. That is how it has been since the start of the league, and it will continue being that way. As long as I am the manager of the team, I will always demand that every match be played as if it were a final and give it all,” said Paunovic.