Following a disappointing and rowdy first season, Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane has summed up his maiden DStv Premiership campaign as a difficult yet learning season.
Zwane rose to the helm at the beginning of the season after an unsuccessful second stint by former Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter.
With the league fixtures wrapping up at the weekend, Zwane said he is looking forward to finishing on a high, admitting that it was not an easy campaign.
“We want to finish the season on a high, we’ve had our ups and downs, moments where we were happy and saw things coming along alright,” he said ahead of their season finale against Cape Town City at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.
“We also had moments that gave us sleepless nights in terms of not getting the results, several injuries and inconsistency in terms of not having a starting 11.
“So, it’s been a learning season, a very difficult one, but also a season that one can say, for a new squad and new technical team, not bad at all. We are looking forward to improving the squad and getting better.”
It goes without saying that his assignment did not go as planned, as the Glamour Boys could not end an eight-year trophy drought, as well as finishing inside the top two for a CAF Champions League spot.
However, one could have a different perspective and argue that Zwane had a decent season under the circumstances, given that it was evidently clouded by injuries from key players including Khama Billiat, Eric Mathoho, and Keagan Dolly, among others.
The departure of Njabulo Blom was also probably the biggest blow for the coach, as the 23-year-old made Amakhosi tick in the middle of the park.
Blom surprised Amakhosi faithful when he left for Major League Soccer outfit St Louis City in the US in the middle of the season.
The defeat to SuperSport United at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in North West last week summed up Zwane’s uninspiring campaign, exposing him to the wrath of frustrated fans who hurled objects at him as he was escorted out of the field by security personnel.
When dust had settled, Zwane was left nursing an injury to his eye after he was accidentally hit with a shield by one of the security members protecting him.
In Saturday’s fixture, Zwane and his troops will strive to avoid another upset by getting maximum points against City, wrapping the season in high hopes for a new season that will get under way in August.
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