Pollen Ndlanya has delivered a razor-sharp assessment of Kaizer Chiefs, dissecting Amakhosi’s blunt attack and overall squad quality, before naming the coach he believes could finally spark a revival at Naturena.
The former Glamour Boys striker sees a lifeless attack from midfield, transitioning to the forwards. Ndlanya’s sentiments could be backed by Amakhosi’s run of four successive defeats in which they have scored just twice while conceding eight goals.
Amakhosi have eight strikers in their squad, but only Flabvio da Silva has had a commendable return of seven goals in 21 games in all competitions.
Chiefs’ season appears to be spiralling out of the control of co-coaches Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Yousseff. Since the turn of the year, the duo has guided Chiefs to elimination from the Nedbank Cup and CAF Confederation Cup.
Hopes of ending the Betway Premiership campaign in the top three are slowly evaporating. This is after a promising start to the season, but signs that the period of positive results was unsustainable were glaring.
The Soweto giants started 2026 posting 1-0 victories in four consecutive games across all competitions. But the way they were missing scoring opportunities remained a concern to their fans.
Just before the 2025 AFCON, Kaze and Ben Youssef oversaw a four-match winless streak, which included two goalless draws against then-basement side Chippa United and 10-man TS Galaxy.
NDLANYA SEES ‘ORDINARY PLAYERS’ AT NATURENA, QUESTIONS RECRUITMENT POLICY
“I was at the stadium to watch the Soweto Derby [against Orlando Pirates]. I don’t watch like a supporter, I analyse. I check the strikers to try and see what the problem is,” Ndlanya told FARPost.
“They are lacking a lot of things. Your job is to score goals. You must have the skills to score. Scoring is a skill.
“I wish to watch them at training and see. They aren’t doing a good job in terms of finishing. They are lost. Nothing is happening; the combination with midfielders isn’t working. No supply. It comes from training sessions.
“I just question. Who is scouting for Chiefs? I ask myself. There is a player for Chiefs, AmaZulu FC, Polokwane City FC, Pirates and so forth. But here, I don’t see Chiefs material. Your performance must be 120%. They are ordinary players, especially in the derby.”
NDLANYA OFFERS CHIEFS A SOLUTION, IDENTIFIES IDEAL COACH
Disgruntled voices from Chiefs fans and legends are growing louder, calling for the Kaze and Ben Youssef to step down, and Ndlanya names the man he sees as the solution to Chiefs’ woes.
“Chiefs need to go into the market and buy quality players who are fit for the level which Chiefs should be at,” added Ndlanya. “They also need a coach. If I were in the management of Chiefs, there is one coach who can rescue Chiefs to bring glory and implement the culture and philosophy.
“He is Pitso Mosimane. He will build Chiefs. Give him the chance, then give him the chequebook to sign the players he wants. Pitso will really help Chiefs.”
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