Ertugral says Chiefs rebuilding process is just a fable

Muhsin Ertugral believes his former employers at Kaizer Chiefs have lost the plot and the rebuilding that the team has been undergoing is ‘far from reality’.

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The Turkish mentor says the hiring and firing of coaches that has happened over the past few years at Naturena works against the club. 

Ertugral has had two stints as coach at Chiefs. The first was between 1999 and 2003 and the second between 2007 and 2009. 

He wrote on his LinkedIn account his thoughts on the current situation at Chiefs after their 1-0 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns in a DStv Premiership match on Saturday. 

Ertugral questioned the use of Samkelo Zwane and Yusuf Maart in midfield as he feels they are similar and end up shadowing each other.

“Chiefs tactical approach with two central midfielders in front of the defensive line is not functioning in defensive transitions,” writes Ertugral. 

“Both Zwane and Maart shadow each other instead looking for the pressure points and protecting the blind side for pocket runs or shoulder runs from the opponents.”

Ertugral also feels that Edmilson Dove and Zitha Kwinika’s central defence pairing might take time to gel. 

Defensive pair not complementing each other

“The biggest problem for me are the two central defenders separated far too often,” says the former Orlando Pirates mentor. 

“Dove is a converted winger and doesn’t have the expected reflexes from a central defender point of view. 

“(He) Often gets caught in unnecessarily dragging out of the collective to pressure, leaving gaps behind.”

Ertugral also commented on how the chopping and changing of personnel from coaches to players at Naturena has hindered the rebuilding process. 

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“I can see the current situation is far from reality with a “building process” that has been mentioned now for more than five years. 

“Coaches are coming and going, and the players are coming in and out for years now. There is no stability and consistency.

“They have completely lost momentum. Chiefs have to maximise the specialist workforce to ensure quality development and provide appropriate levels of high performance.” 

It is however worth mentioning that coach Arthur Zwane has spoken of an idea to bring in a specialist strikers coach on board. 

Ertugral also dismissed the perception that Chiefs have a young squad, saying the average age at Naturena is 26.

“The current squad is often mentioned as a young team. It’s a perception. The team is on the age scale of the current PSL season at position with an average of 26.3 years. 

“There are young players in the team, but these don’t make the team a “young team”,” added Ertugral.