Kaizer Chiefs co-coach Cedric Kaze has heaped praise on midfielder Lebohang Maboe as a midfield genius who powers Amakhosi’s system of play.
Re-joining Amakhosi before the start of the current season from Mamelodi Sundowns, Maboe initially struggled with injuries before taking time to hit top form. But he has now picked up momentum in his game at a crucial stage of Chiefs’ campaign.
Interestingly, he has no single goal and has managed just one assist in 19 games across all competitions. But his graft in central midfield has not gone unnoticed, helping Amakhosi dominate in the engine room in some cases.
That has earned Maboe Man of the Match accolades four times, including three in a row. The top performances come in handy as the Soweto giants are fighting to end the season on a high.
They currently sit third on the Betway Premiership table with 13 points fewer than second-placed Orlando Pirates, who have played two games more. Amakhosi are left with eight games before they conclude their season business, and that presents Maboe with an opportunity to prove that he can at least be named as the PSL Midfielder of the Season.
KAZE SALUTES MABOE’S MIDFIELD MASTERY
“I think that in every game model that you use in a football team, the midfield is very important. And when the midfield works well, the rest of the team follows together, to have a player who understands the game, who leads the other players, technically and even mentally,” said Kaze.
“He [Maboe] knows when to go forward, he knows when to slow down the game.
“He is a player who is always looking to play forward, he has a very few amount of pass backs. He is a player, as well, who has a very good delivery on set-pieces. To have that kind of a technical player, with his experience, is invaluable. He lifts the team up.”
KAZE: CHIEFS GAME MODEL IS FINALLY CLICKING
With Chiefs currently riding a four-match winning streak, the confidence within the camp is palpable. Kaze added that he believes the team’s attacking patterns are finally beginning to click.
“We have a game model that we have been working on and ways to get inside the box, ways to create 1v1s, [and] ways to overload either side of the field,” Kade explained. “The good thing is that we understand each other better between players, and that gives more opportunities to score goals.
“We have seven goals in the last three games, and we better keep what we are doing and even score more, because I believe we create enough to score more.”
The numbers back up Kaze’s optimism. During this prolific four-game stretch, Amakhosi have been clinical, dispatching TS Galaxy [2-0], Magesi FC [2-0], and Durban City [1-0] in league action, as well as securing a 3-1 victory over Orbit College FC.
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