Muhsin Ertugral identifies two mistakes Arthur Zwane is making at Kaizer Chiefs
Former Kaizer Chiefs coach Muhsin Ertugral has revealed where Arthur Zwane is getting it all wrong at the club.
Zwane is struggling in his first season as Chiefs head coach as his troops are inconsistent and finding it difficult to grind results in the DStv Premiership.
The situation has now worsened as Soweto giants are winless in 2023 and have suffered three defeats in a row.
After three matches played in the new year, Chiefs have failed to collect points and have not found the back of the net with six goals conceded.
The poor and worrying form saw Chiefs drop to six place on the DStv Premiership log standings after 18 games.
Ertugral, who won the Telkom Knockout and MTN8 with Chiefs has identified two mistakes Zwane is making at the club.
THE PAIRING OF SAMKELO ZWANE AND YUSUF MAART
Since the departure of Njabulo Blom at Chiefs, coach Zwane has shown faith in the 20-year-old Samkelo Zwane.
The youngster has started every game in the heart of the Chiefs midfield, alongside Yusuf Maart, since then.
However, Ertugral believes that the duo is not fit enough to marshall the Chiefs’ midfield.
“Chiefs tactical approach with two central midfielders in front of the defensive line is not functioning in defensive transitions,” Ertugral wrote on LinkedIn.
“Both players [Samkelo] Zwane and [Yusuf] Maart are shadowing each other. Instead, looking for the pressure points and protect the blind side for pocket runs or shoulder runs from the opponents. “
CENTRE BACKS ARE NOT COMBINING, EDMILSON DOVE MISPLACED
Before the arrival Dove at Chiefs, Zwane was very vocal about needing a left-footed centre-back, despite the availability of Austin Dube.
The arrival of the Mozambican seemed to be what the Chiefs mentor needed, with the player putting in several Man of the Match award performances.
The 28-year-old started 10 games for Amakhosi in the league alongside Zitha Kwinika. The pair only kept two clean sheets in the league.
But ex-Chiefs coach, now a technical director, Ertugral, is convinced that Dove is more of a full-back/full wing-back than a centre-back due to the qualities that he displays.
“The biggest problem for me are the two central defenders, Dove and Zitha [Kwinika] separated far too often,” he explained.
“Dove is a converted winger, and doesn’t have the expected reflexes from a central defender point of view. Often he gets caught in unnecessary dragging out of the collective to pressure and leaves gaps.
“Chiefs will not find a reliable defensive structure, that will be the biggest concern, the players will have negative psychological impact.
“The 18 scored and 21 conceded shows actually where the major problem is.”
Ertugral went on to point out what must be fixed at Chiefs immediately.
This in turn will help the team perform better and grind better results going forward.
“It is vital to find the correct philosophy of own culture as basis for the education of talented young players with their own identity and philosophy,” concluded Ertugral.
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