Mkhonza’s Honest Opinion on Arthur: The Good and the Bad

On Friday, former Kaizer Chiefs defender Siphiwe Mkhonza weighed in on the club’s struggles and whether head coach Arthur Zwane is still the right man to take the team forward. Chiefs, who have not scored a goal in their last three league matches, have seen their slim hopes of challenging Mamelodi Sundowns for the title disappear, as they trail the reigning champions by 25 points in sixth place on the log.

Mkhonza, who is an analyst, believes Chiefs supporters need to understand that the club is in a rebuilding phase and it’s unrealistic to expect them to hit the ground running, especially after the high turnover of players in the off-season. He also gave his take on Zwane’s reign and believes he needs experience around him.

“People need to understand that building takes a bit of time, I mean look at Arsenal, they are reaping the rewards. I think if you look at the team that is on position five (six) and they are in the building phase, it’s not that bad, it’s just that with our culture here at home we’re not patient enough, we feel, ‘Ah, Chiefs should be winning’. But Chiefs have overhauled (the squad). They have let go of about 12 to 13 players, that’s a huge shift when you bring youngsters and they know they have not signed the right players over the years,” he said.

Mkhonza, affectionately known as ‘Dr. Mnandi’, also suggested that Zwane needs to surround himself with experienced coaches. “So this is a process that’s gonna take a bit of time. I still think, I’m not buying Arthur’s face but I think he’s the right candidate but Arthur needs to have help around him, experienced people. Because if you look at great coaches in the world, they are surrounding themselves with experienced coaches who have been there for long, because as a coach you won’t see everything. You need people to surround yourself with. He needs help because he’s not experienced enough for that driving seat at Chiefs because siyashisa (the seat is hot),” he added.

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