The taste of defeat has become all too familiar to Kaizer Chiefs tongues for eight years now, but Molefi Ntseki sees a ‘bright ‘future’ for the club following his first official game at the helm.
Chiefs produced a dull performance in their opening game of the 2023/24 PSL season at the iconic Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
They played out to a 0-0 draw against Chippa United in a DStv Premiership encounter.
The Soweto giants’ new coach Ntseki was not satisfied with the overall display of his men but reserved praise for the club’s new signings, who impressed on their debut for the club.
Ntseki, at the wheel, threw in fresh faces, a new central defensive pairing of Thatayaone Ditlhokwe and Given Msimango. Midfielder Edson Castillo played a holding role while Ranga Chivaviro led the attack. Meanwhile, Mduduzi Msantsane and Tebogo Pontsane made second-half appearances
NTSEKI SATISFIED WITH PERFORMANCE OF CHIEFS’ NEW SIGNINGS
Despite the poor showing on the day, Ntseki believes the first game of the new campaign offered an eye on the future of Chiefs.
And, as with all things new, he said the future of Chiefs is bright as the club has ‘quality players’.
“Towards the end of the year [2022], we did a squad audit,” said Ntseki. “A few players were recruited long before the end of the season because we were looking forward to the [new] season to beef up and strengthen the team.
“With the new players that were brought to the team, these are good quality players. I think we have done a very good profile on them, that is why we see some of them played [against Chippa]. And I must say, they did well.”
CHIEFS COACH FULL OF PRAISE FOR CASTILLO
“You can see we didn’t make a mistake in bringing these players into the team. The only thing is for us to ensure that they gel. They also need to understand that every game we play has to be a win. They need to be mentally strong going forward because we can’t dwell much on the setback.”
The Chiefs coach reiterated that the Venezuelan international Castillo was probably the club’s ray of sunshine in a rather underwhelming showing against the Chilli Boys.
“The four players that played with Potsane coming in, with Given at the back and TT. The combination is very good, he said. “When you look at Edsen Castillo, who has never played in South Africa, you see so much quality in him. So much intelligence in terms of how he manages the game, in position and out of position.
“So I think the future looks very bright for the club in terms of the quality of players we have currently,” declared the Amakhosi tactician.
In addition, Ntseki expressed optimism that the point gained against Chippa will boost Chiefs’ confidence ahead of their match against league champions Mamelodi Sundowns on Wednesday, 09 August 2023.
The much-anticipated game will be staged at Loftus Loftus Versfeld Stadium, with kickoff set for 15:00.
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