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.
