Motaung Jr. warns Kaizer Chiefs against immature celebrations to good start to the season ahead of 'January's true test'

Kaizer Chiefs finished 10th in the 2023/24 Premier Soccer League season before managing to end in the ninth position a year later.

To avoid a repeat of the same in the ongoing campaign, he management signed 11 players, with most of them bringing much-needed experience to the team.

The changes have made a difference for the club, where the Glamour Boys are giving Sundowns and Pirates a run for their money. On the PSL table, they have collected 22 points from 11 games, just three less than Masandawana, who have played 12 matches, and the Sea Robbers.

Amakhosi are also doing well continentally, where they are in the CAF Confederation Cup group stage.

With the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations coming as well as the 2026 FIFA World Cup, domestic football will experience many matches played over a short period. Chiefs are set to compete in the PSL, Nedbank Cup, and CAF Confederation Cup early next year.

The club's Sporting Director Kaizer Motaung Jr. is wary of the negative impact that this might have on the players and team at large.

“We have jam-packed fixtures coming up from January since the AFCON is coming and the World Cup next year. I think the period when we come back in January will be the true test of where we are. So, it is very much keeping our heads on the ground and making sure that we stay focused," he told the media. 

"We have done very well in terms of one area, which is reducing the number of goals that we concede, but now we need to make sure we convert our chances. It is a work in progress.

"I think the technical staff in the first team, coach Khalil, and coach Cedric are working very hard together with the analysis team. There is a lot more understanding. I know that we had a result that we didn’t want this past weekend, but we are very focused,  and this is a work in progress, and everyone is working. We will talk at the end of May.

"It is very much collective and stems from a few years ago when we took a deliberate step to restructure and lower our average age and take a different direction. If you look at the set-up of the technical team at the youth level and their proximity to the first team, that is the transitional area that we invested in.Very much a plan," Motaung added.

Last season, Chiefs won the DDC and are now set for the United Kingdom tour, where they will face some strong teams like Manchester United, Leeds United, and Queens Park Rangers. Motaung Jr. has underlined the importance of ensuring all junior levels deliver as anticipated.

“On the youth side, a lot of credit must go to the technical staff, coach Vela, and coach Sheppy, and just how we operate with coach Bhanjee, coach Tshidiso, and coach Jambo, they all work as a unit. They assist each other in different age groups because we want a similar approach from Under-14 all the way to the DDC. So, credit must go to them," he added.

Motaung Jr. has further shared more on the senior team's CAF Confederation Cup goals and the prospect of winning the Premier Soccer League.

"They are the ones who are doing the hard work and the parents who trust us with their children. On the first team side, we are on track in terms of what we want to do," the former striker added.

"Last year, the big goal was to get back to Africa, and the Nedbank Cup opened that door, and now we have our next stretch, which we are focusing on.