Kaizer Chiefs allegedly 'have no character!' Despite having a talented lot 'it doesn't mean Amakhosi are conquerors'

Kaizer Chiefs made 11 signings this season, anticipating to challenge Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates, and Co. for domestic glory.

Having qualified for the CAF Confederation Cup by virtue of winning the Nedbank Cup, the Glamour Boys had to have a stronger squad as well to ensure they had what it takes to make a statement on the continent as well.

To some extent, the players Amakhosi signed - Ethan Chislett (Port Vale), Nkanyiso Shinga (FC Alverca), Flavio Silva (Persebaya Surabaya), Thabiso Monyane (Orlando Pirates), Paseka Mako (Orlando Pirates), Siphesihle Ndlovu (SuperSport United), Asanele Velebayi (Cape Town Spurs), Etiosa Ighodaro (Mamelodi Sundowns), Luke Baartman (Cape Town Spurs), Lebohang Maboe (Mamelodi Sundowns), Khanyisa Mayo, and (loan CR Belouizdad) - have done quite well although Chislett and Shinga haven't made their debut.  

In the Premier Soccer League, Chiefs are on 24 points from the 13 games that they have played, four behind Orlando Pirates, who have played a game less.  

Despite making the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup, the Soweto giants are placed third in Group D, having lost 2-1 away to Al Masry before a 1-1 draw at home.

They will get another chance to battle for silverware in January when they start their Nedbank Cup defence. 

Despite their strong start, Amakhosi legend Rudolph Seale is not convinced the Glamour Boys have the nerve to challenge for major titles.

He argues that talent alone will not help them get crowned since more is needed, especially on the pitch.

“I played with Doctor [Khumalo] and Shoes [the late John Moshoeu] – highly talented players – but they worked hard. What I see lacking in these current boys is that they seem to forget they are playing for Chiefs.

“They have the advantage of talent, but they have no character – they are inconsistent. As a player, you must self-analyse," Seale added.

"When you’ve drawn the previous match, look at it to see where you can improve so you win the next one. When we lost, people were so hard on us. Of course, I could wear a beanie and sunglasses to go to the shebeen and still have fun after a defeat, but it never came to my mind. 

“I stayed at home and mourned the defeat personally because it was not just Chiefs which had lost, I had lost too. I took the result personally," he concluded.

Meanwhile, former Marumo Gallants coach Dylan Kerr believes he can help Chiefs win the Premier Soccer League title.

The club is currently under co-coaches Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef, who were given the mandate, at least until the end of the season, when Nasreddine Nabi was fired. The former English defender has now explained why he believes he can win the league with Chiefs.   

“If I were to be offered a job at Kaizer Chiefs, I would swim across the Mediterranean Sea right into Kaizer Motaung’s house. You want the league? I can do it. I have always said that,” he told SoccerBeat.

“If you look at the players that play for Chiefs, [Orlando] Pirates, [Mamelodi] Sundowns, and Stellenbosch FC—all the so-called big teams—in the last two or three years, I would say plenty of them use players who were my players from Black Leopards, TTM, Moroka Swallows, and Marumo Gallants.

“So, I would 100% win the league with Chiefs. I would get them [players] to play for me," the 58-year-old Kerr continued.

"If you go back to the knockout cup [Nedbank Cup with TTM in 2021, beating Chippa United in the final] during COVID-19, I had 28 players, got two weeks to train, and went on to play in Durban and Johannesburg in the final.

“It doesn’t matter who you are or what you are, as long as you always get the players to put on the jersey and go play and fight for you on the field. So, that is all it takes," he concluded.

The duo is aware that they have to deliver for them to be considered by the management on a permanent basis.  

Winning the Premier Soccer League might be a tall order, but surely, finishing third or at worst fourth is not, and it is what they should target.

In the CAF Confederation Cup, at least getting out of the group stage will work, but the most important thing will be successfully defending their Nedbank Cup.