Kaizer Chiefs head coach Molefi Ntseki appears to have found his ideal
midfield combination, thanks to an unexpected tactical tweak and the
addition of new recruit Sibongiseni Mthethwa.
At the start of the campaign, Chiefs signed Venezuelan Edson Castillo,
who has since proven to be one of the club’s best players. However, the
team was not getting the best out of Castillo, as he was playing in a
slightly deeper role, which inhibited his goalscoring prowess.
Ntseki has now made a tactical switch that saw Yusuf Maart drop into a
holding midfield role, and the addition of Mthethwa, who was signed from
Stellenbosch.
This has resulted in Ntseki finding his ideal midfield trio of an
attacking threat in Castillo, an orchestrator in Maart and a destroyer in
Mthethwa. At a press conference held at the club’s Naturena Village on
Monday, Ntseki said: “In our profiling of Castillo we realized that he is
more of an eight than a six because he scored [in] a few games playing for
his team back in Venezuela. He is the player we needed that is why we
decided to bring him to Kaizer Chiefs, and he proved us right in terms of
the qualities that he possesses as an individual.”
He went on to explain that Castillo has been playing as an eight for the
past four games, and that this has enabled him to get closer to the goal
and score.
Ntseki also praised Maart for his performance in the six role, and said
that the addition of Mthethwa has strengthened the team.
“But reinforcement will always be important to have in a team of Chiefs’
calibre. That is why we brought Ox into the club, and we are going to have
a strong team going forward,” he concluded.
