Cape Town - After their signings of the past few months, Kaizer Chiefs are a hotbed of footballing talents due to the likes of Ashley du Preez, Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana, Edmilson Dove, Yusuf Maart, Zitha Kwinika and Dillon Solomons joining their ranks.
However, these talents have not been able to bring consistency to Chiefs, who have won two, lost two and drawn one in their last five Premiership fixtures.
They suffered their latest setback on Saturday when they lost to lowly Sekhukhune United, who were hovering just above the relegation zone before the game.
Coach Arthur Zwane has been given a superb squad and despite a few sub-standard performances, he continues to praise the players, even in defeat.
Following defeat over the weekend, Zwane said: “The boys tried their best. I commend their effort.
“I’m disappointed that we lost a game that we shouldn’t have lost. But if the (opposition) keeper is on top of his game, there is nothing you can do.
“The fact is, we created chances. It was going to be a worrying factor if we lost at home and did not create enough goal-scoring opportunities.
“I’m disappointed that it was the club’s birthday, and we wanted to give a good present to the chairman, forefathers and everyone who has been part of the Chiefs journey.”
One player who has underwhelmed is Kamohelo Mahlatsi. He showed lots of promise at the start of the season and Zwane feels he needs time to establish himself in the team.
“We (the club) will keep on encouraging the players until they get it right,” said Zwane.
“I am happy with Mahlatsi. I was a player myself, and a player doesn’t only need one chance to prove himself.
“Unfortunately, at some point, the competition is stiff, and if all our players are available, this becomes a game of opportunities.
“If you are given an opportunity, you need to grab it with both hands.”
Apart from midfielder Mahlatsi, some others have not done their reputations proud but Zwane does not think looking at the transfer market will improve the club’s Premiership fortunes.
“When you look at the good players we have right now, we feel we want to give them a fair chance to prove themselves,” said Zwane.
“Any available quality player (in the transfer market), we will always go for them, but it depends. We want to bring in players that can add value and that can deal with pressure.
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“That’s why you can’t be specific when it comes to where we want to beef up. I feel in the middle, we still have George (Matlou), Cole (Alexander), (Phathutshedzo) Nange and the young (Samkelo) Zwane, who has been doing very well, so we are still covered, yes?
“If we get another good defensive midfielder, why not? We’ll bring him on board, there’s no doubt about it.
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“Even a striker. We’re just looking for players who can come in and add value in the team.”
Meanwhile, Zwane will have to do without defender Sifiso Hlanti for Friday’s clash against AmaZulu in Durban. Hlanti is serving a suspension after receiving a fourth yellow card of the season over the weekend.
IOL Sport