Kaizer Chiefs co-coach Cedric Kaze has provided clarity on the absence of key duo Siphesihle Ndlovu and Bradley Cross during the club’s disappointing Betway Premiership loss to Siwelele FC on Wednesday night.
The Soweto giants suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Siwelele at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein. Early strikes from ex-Chiefs star Tebogo Potsane and Siphesihle Jeza in the opening 25 minutes of the tie were enough to secure maximum points for the Lehlohonolo Seema-led side.
This victory propels Siwelele to ninth in the Betway Premiership standings, moving them to 32 points after 26 matches – three points off the coveted MTN8 place.
Meanwhile, the Glamour Boys remain stagnant in third place, holding 47 points from the same number of outings.
For last night’s match, Paseka Mako started in the place of Cross, while Mduduzi Shabalala stepped in for Siphesihle Ndlovu.
In the current campaign, Ndlovu has featured in 22 matches, registering three-goal involvements [two goals and one assist]. Meanwhile, Cross has participated in 24 matches, recording one assist as part of the solid defence.
INJURY CONCERNS FOR SIPHESIHLE NDLOVU AFTER SOWETO DERBY CLASH
Addressing the media after the match, Kaze revealed that Ndlovu’s omission was forced by an injury scare that prevented him from joining the squad as they prepared for the Siwelele clash. It remains unclear if the injury was sustained during Sunday’s bruising Soweto Derby or in a subsequent training session.
“Actually, we made two changes from Cross and Ndlovu. Ndlovu didn’t train in the last two days; he felt discomfort and is being assessed by the medical team. We are expecting the results tonight [referring to Wednesday night],” Kaze explained.
While Ndlovu’s absence was medical, talented left-back Cross was left out as part of a tactical decision to manage his workload following a congested fixture list.
“Bradley Cross has had a lot of games in the last few days, so we felt that it was the right moment to do a rotation. Those were the only changes,” Kaze added.
CEDRIC KAZE ON LESSONS LEARNED
Reflecting on the result, the Burundian tactician admitted that the coaching staff might need to reassess their approach to squad depth and “freshness” in future encounters.
“After the game, as a coach, you ask yourself if maybe you should have made more changes to get fresh minds and fresh legs too,” he admitted. “But you know that’s how football is. We are going to take this as a lesson and learn from it going forward,” he stated.
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