Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando Da Cruz has revealed the full extent of the club’s left-back crisis, with five players capable of playing in the position sidelined by injury just three games into the new Betway Premiership season.
Nkanyiso Shinga, Paseka Mako, Bradley Cross, Kabelo Nkgwesa and Reeve Frosler are all unavailable, leaving Da Cruz without a recognised left-back for Saturday’s 1-1 Betway Premiership draw against Mamelodi Sundowns.
The Frenchman was forced into a tactical reshuffle at a packed FNB Stadium, deploying natural winger Pule Mmodi as a left wing-back as Chiefs extended their unbeaten start to the 2026/27 league campaign to three matches.
The defensive crisis has developed through a succession of setbacks. Bafana Bafana international Cross watched the high-profile encounter from the stands as he continues his recovery, while Shinga and Mako remain sidelined.
With his options already limited, Da Cruz had turned to Frosler, a natural right-back, to cover on the left. He also handed Nkgwesa his PSL debut during the second half of Wednesday’s clash against Sekhukhune United.
But the former AS FAR Rabat coach suffered another blow before the Sundowns showdown when both Frosler and Nkgwesa picked up injuries in the space of a few days.
KAIZER CHIEFS LEFT-BACK CRISIS DEEPENS: DA CRUZ EXPLAINS RESHUFFLE AGAINST SUNDOWNS
To adapt to the crisis, Da Cruz fielded a central defensive trio of Thabo Moloisane, Inácio Miguel, and Zitha Kwinika, with Thabiso Monyane slotting in as the right wing-back and Mmodi dropping deep to cover the left flank defensively while providing width in attack.
A disciplined three-man midfield of Sibongiseni Mthethwa, Lebohang Maboe, and Siphesihle Ndlovu anchored the system, while Luke Baartman and Langelihle Phili spearheaded the attack. The improvised formation proved effective enough to frustrate the reigning African champions and secure a point for Amakhosi.
Speaking after the match, Da Cruz explained how the latest setbacks left his technical team scrambling for a solution, with every recognised left-back unavailable.
“All the left-backs are injured. We were unlucky in the last few days in the left full-back position,” Da Cruz explained. “Between the Sekhukhune United game and today [Saturday], we lost two more players to injury, who are Reeve [Frosler] and Kabelo [Nkgwesa].”
Despite the injury blows, Da Cruz stated that the tactical setup was far from a purely defensive exercise. Chiefs adopted a disciplined, compact shape to control spaces in front of their backline while guarding against Sundowns’ dangerous runs in behind, yet remained intent on pushing forward whenever moments opened up to attack.
“First of all, we set up this structure because we have injured players, so in two days, as we prepared for Sundowns, we needed to find a solution,” he added.
“Secondly, as I said, if you give too much space to this team of Sundowns, they will kill us, so we needed to control the spaces in front of us, but also behind us. But in this system, we prepared our team to attack. I admit we were not good in possession in the first half, but it was better in the second half.
“And lastly, if we want to compare Sundowns and Chiefs, for the moment, we cannot compare because on one side you have Sundowns, with players who have played together for six or seven years. And for us, the technical team, we arrived a month ago.”
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