Despite losing 6-5 on penalties to arch-rivals Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur “10111” Zwane sees a lot of positives and is happy with the progress made by their young players. Zwane gave Samkelo Zwane and Mduduzi Shabalala, who were both promoted from Chiefs’ development ranks, a run and the youngsters grabbed the bull by the horns.
After a flat first half, caused mostly by the imbalance of the team voted for by fans, the introduction of the duo after the break worked wonders for Amakhosi. They started penetrating the Buccaneers’ defence line, causing them to retreat.
Full-time score before the penalty shootouts was 0-0.
Zwane was full of praise for his young guns: “They will most definitely play more games. We gave them an opportunity; that’s the direction we are taking as a team, to give youngsters a chance. For me, they changed the complexion of the game and gave us extra oomph. And it was through that we created opportunities.
“There were about 80 000 people there, but the boys were able to change the complexion of the match. That tells you that mentally they are ready, and they did what we expected them to do. If they can cope with that crowd at FNB Stadium, it means they will get better with each and every game.
“In the second half, I did not see (Monnapule) Saleng, I thought maybe he was substituted. This also motivates other young players who are coming through the ranks that they will also get an opportunity to play as well if they work hard.”
Zwane lamented the disproportion of the team. “We knew we were going to battle with the imbalance of the team. We had to play Nkosingiphile Ngcobo on the right and he is left-footed. Pirates capitalised on that, but we waited for the half-time where we could make changes – and that is when we gave them something to think about.”
Chiefs’ next official match is against Golden Arrows on New Year’s Eve.
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