Mcebo Mpungose
This week, Kaizer Chiefs’ management made a not-so-bold decision to dismiss Molefi Ntseki from his position as the head coach at the club, ending a relationship that seemed doomed from the beginning.
Like many others, I had questions about Ntseki’s credentials after his appointment to one of the most coveted jobs in South African football. There is no argument about it: Kaizer Chiefs is the biggest football brand in Mzansi and can be counted among the largest clubs in Africa, despite a lackluster run in the local league and CAF competitions over the last ten years.
The club deserves a high-profile coach, not just in name but someone who can truly influence the team’s performance on the field, and someone with a thick skin to handle impatient fans.
Contrary to popular belief, Ntseki did bring about some positive changes to the team this season compared to what fans endured under Arthur Zwane, whose inexperience was evident in nearly every match last season. However, even Zwane made some progress with the team.
Under Ntseki, Chiefs appear more stable at the back and are capable of dominating and controlling games from defense to the midfield. However, both Ntseki and Zwane have failed to address the club’s persistent issue of converting goal-scoring opportunities.
This is why I questioned the acquisition of Sibongiseni ‘Ox’ Mthethwa, a brilliant deep-lying midfielder. However, this signing seemed unnecessary this season, especially after the addition of Edson Castillo, who has performed well in that role alongside Yusuf Maart.
Chiefs lack a creative player in midfield. Mduduzi Mdanstane was brought in to fill this role, but let’s be honest, he was signed a season or two too late. In his ten games for Chiefs this season, he has zero assists.
Other creative players signed are also struggling. Pule Mmodi has zero assists, despite a decent three-goal return in eight league games.
I won’t even get into Nkosingiphile Ngcobo, who has struggled whenever given an opportunity this season, and the less said about George Matlou, the better.
All Kaizer Chiefs strikers have hardly scored any goals so far this season, even after nine games into the campaign.
– Ashley Du Preez: 8 games, 1 goal
– Ranga Chivaviro: 6 games, 0 goals
– Christian Saile: 9 games, 1 goal
The team is struggling to score goals, and this issue has plagued Chiefs for a very long time. Excluding the one decent season that Samir Nurkovic had, Chiefs have struggled to be consistent in front of goal since their last league win in 2014/15. Even then, they managed only 41 goals, while Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates scored more goals that season. That’s nearly ten years of goal-scoring struggles.
Club Update
Cavin Johnson will take over as the First Team coach on an interim basis.
Current assistant coach, Dillon Sheppard will retain his position under Johnson.https://t.co/ektYRGBARu#Amakhosi4Life pic.twitter.com/53yFqP5jCe
— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) October 23, 2023
The last time they challenged for the league was during the 2019/2020 season, the same season in which Nurkovic scored 12 goals in 21 appearances for the club.
With the defense relatively improved, the next challenge is to address the long-standing goal-scoring issue that has haunted Chiefs for years. It remains to be seen if Cavin Johnson has a solution for this in his interim role while the club looks for a permanent manager.
It’s worth noting that last season, the Orlando Pirates coaching staff quickly recognized the team’s struggles in front of goal and sought external help to address the issue. It’s now history what Pirates have achieved since.
