Former Kaizer Chiefs assistant coach and Bafana Bafana goal ace claims that his former team’ struggles in the PSL stem from 'inconsistency'

Even though Kaizer Chiefs opened the season with promise, showing signs of revival and earning a noteworthy achievement in the CAF Confederation Cup by fighting their way into the group stage but their inconsistency in the league has continued to hold them back.

The Glamour Boys played 13 matches, in which they managed to win six, played six draws as well, and only lost once at the hands of Sekhukhune United, who sit above them on the league log standings, with one point separating the two sides, while the Soweto team settled in fourth position with 24 points.

The challenge that has notably held Amakhosi back has been their struggles in front of goal. They have repeatedly dropped points in matches they dominated, failing to capitalise on key opportunities. However, according to former player and assistant coach Shaun Bartlett, inconsistency within the team appears to be the main factor hindering their progress and success.

Shaun Bartlett, who served as assistant coach to Ernst Middendorp, has shared his views on Chiefs’ performance, stating that, in his opinion, the biggest shortfall for the Phefeni team has been their inability to maintain stable momentum

“Yeah, you know when I think about Kaizer Chiefs, it’s only one word that comes to mind. Every time I speak about them, it’s inconsistency,” Bartlett told IOL.

“They give you that little bit of hope of winning two games, and then suddenly they go a bit off track, and they struggle for form again. So I think that is the biggest challenge they have at this moment in time.

He further explained that the co-coaches, Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze, not being able to establish their trusted starting line-up, have contributed to the team’s ongoing challenge.

“Also, inconsistency in the selection of players because they never find their strongest 11 in order to sustain, or to keep them going," he added.

“So it’s a problem.”

“With the coaching staff, it's going to be a massive challenge for them to compete for anything if you're going to keep changing players and keep changing coaches, so it's one of those things I think management will have to really put their thumb on and make sure that they correct things quickly. as Bartlett continued.

The 53-year-old former Cape Town Spurs coach emphasised that having tangible results to show for a coach’s work plays a key role in deciding whether a coach is retained or replaced, despite any small positives they may have brought to the team.

“Coaches know that results will keep their jobs, and that's an unfortunate thing. We probably would want them to stay for a year or two years, or have success, but at the end of the day, even now with [Nasreddine] Nabi, we saw having won the Nedbank Cup for them after 10 years not winning anything still didn't keep his job.

“It's very unfortunate, but I think coaches also understand that it's a very volatile position to have in this industry," he concluded.

With such an end to the first half of the season, Chiefs management will face a tough decision regarding the technical team, as many supporters have expressed their dissatisfaction with the two coaches.

However, there is still enough time to evaluate how they can support the coaches—perhaps by bringing in a trusted striker coach to address one of the team’s biggest challenges: players failing to convert chances. This issue remains a key factor delaying the side from achieving much-needed results.

While they will be looking to kick off the remainder of the season on a high note, and also continue with the continental campaign more sharply, and keep the 'glory days' dream alive.