OPINION: Ntseki needs a win against Mamelodi Sundowns

If there was ever a game Kaizer Chiefs coach Molefi Ntseki needed to win to prove his detractors wrong, it’s this one against Mamelodi Sundowns. The scene is set for what should an absorbing 90 minutes of football at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Wednesday afternoon. 

All eyes will be on Ntseki and his players who come into the game as underdogs. Expect every decision he takes to come under the microscope, from the line-up and his approach to the game. The results column will go a long in telling how far ‘project Ntseki’ is to closing the gap between Amakhosi and the defending champions.

Granted, the Soweto Derby is still the biggest game on the South African football calendar but Ntseki’s immediate focus should be to win over the millions of hard-to-please Chiefs fans.

At this point, nothing would taste sweeter than a victory against the all-conquering Brazilians who have made of mockery of the competitive nature of the DStv Premiership. They attempting to win a record-extending seventh league crown this season. 

Ntseki’s redeployment from head of technical to head coach received negative reaction and the goalless draw against Chippa United has only fuelled question marks over his credentials to bring back the glory days at the Soweto giants.

Bragging rights and most importantly, three points are at stake here. Registering your first win of the season against the reigning champions who have dominated this fixture in recent years will not only be a good morale booster for Chiefs players but it could get their fans on board to buy into project Ntseki.

Such is the huge profile of the Naturena-based outfit that Ntseki’s tracksuit was scrutinised as being oversized following their game against  the Chilli Boys.

Coincidentally, Erik ten Hag was ridiculed as a “small man” in a suit that didn’t fit during his earlier days as an untested Manchester United coach. However, with the help of Bafana Bafana’s all-time leading goalscorer Benni McCarthy, Ten Hag grew into his new role and won the English League Cup to end a six-year trophy drought and secured UEFA Champions League football despite being ridiculed as a “small man” in a suit that didn’t fit.

Ten Hag said “all eras come to an end,” which is easier said than done because he didn’t win the English Premier League at the first time of asking but he bought himself time by winning big games as The Red Devils finished third on the log taking points of old rivals Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal in the process.

The point is, Chiefs fans will understand if the 53-year-old lays a good foundation for his project and that includes competing and taking points off their title rivals as part of the process. Ending an eight-year trophy drought this season should be the bare minimum at Amakhosi. 

The MTN8 Cup rolls into action this weekend where they face Cape Town City in the quarter-final on Sunday. A Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step” and before Ntseki can even think of City, a step in the right direction would be to send a statement of intent at Lucas Moripe Stadium this afternoon in front of a sold-out affair.