Ex-Orlando Pirates coach urges Kaizer Chiefs to reinforce squad after costly Royal AM draw

Kaizer Chiefs' Wandile Duba controls the ball during their Betway Premiership match against Royal AM at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Saturday evening. Photo: Kaizer Chiefs on X

Kaizer Chiefs' Wandile Duba controls the ball during their Betway Premiership match against Royal AM at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Saturday evening. Photo: Kaizer Chiefs on X

Published Dec 2, 2024

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Former Orlando Pirates head coach Roger de Sa believes Kaizer Chiefs will have to be active when the transfer window opens in order to strengthen their squad.

Chiefs’ problems were laid bare on Saturday when they squandered a two-goal lead to draw their Betway Premiership encounter against KwaZulu-Natal side Royal AM 2-2, who essentially started the game with 10 men.

Chiefs bossed the game in the opening 45 minutes, and ran up a 2-0 lead after goals from Ashley du Preez and Wandile Duba. It should have been more, but a number of good goalscoring opportunities were not taken.

In the second half, when Royal AM decided to withdraw their chairman Andile Mpisane and play a proper footballer in midfield, the KZN side started to dominate. They pulled a goal back early on and scored the equaliser with the last kick of the game to earn a 2-2 draw.

Speaking about the game, De Sa said Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi will need more playing resources if he is to restore the club to its rightful place, at the top of the food chain of South African football.

“What happened to Chiefs on Saturday can happen in football,” the former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper was quoted by KickOff.

“Let’s be honest, the coach inherited these players, so I think he will need a bit of time to bring in one or two new players. Once he adds new players, I believe things will be different.

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“I believe the current composition of the Chiefs squad is strong, but during the next transfer window, I expect there may be a few new players joining the team. I don’t think this squad is as strong as a Kaizer Chiefs squad should be.”

Regarding Saturday’s encounter at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, De Sa felt the game would have been over as a contest if Chiefs scored that third goal.

“When you’re 2-0 up, scoring the third goal becomes crucial. If Kaizer Chiefs had scored that third goal, it would have been game over. But since Royal AM got that incredible goal instead, it changed the dynamics of the match.”

IOL Sport