What Chiefs need to do to get a win against City

Kaizer Chiefs’ loss to TS Galaxy last weekend in a Nedbank Cup Last 32 fixture may have bigger repercussions if it is not followed by a win in their next game. 

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Fortunately for Stuart Baxter, that next game comes just three days after the FNB Stadium disaster. And as midfielder Keagan Dolly rightly said, their DStv Premiership game against Cape Town City came at the opportune time for them.  

Moving quickly from such an embarrassing loss will minimise its effect on the team. They will not have time to face the grim reality that the loss brings to the club – an eighth trophy-less season. 

But should they again fail to register a win at City, the pressure will double and possibly cripple team spirit. 

So, here we look at five things Chiefs need to get right on Tuesday evening to ensure they come out victorious at Cape Town Stadium. Defensive pairing – Baxter decided to experiment against Galaxy and it backfired terribly. Daniel Cardoso and Austin Dube could  not get their combination going and were almost always found isolated whenever Galaxy attacked. It will take time for them to form a partnership and this is not the right time to build it with the added pressure. Perhaps Baxter should, with Njabulo Ngcobo out, go with the Cardoso-Erick Mathoho partnership at the back with Dube in front of them as cover.

1. Defensive pairing – Baxter decided to experiment against Galaxy and it backfired terribly. Daniel Cardoso and Austin Dube could  not get their combination going and were almost always found isolated whenever Galaxy attacked. It will take time for them to form a partnership and this is not the right time to build it with the added pressure. Perhaps Baxter should, with Njabulo Ngcobo out, go with the Cardoso-Erick Mathoho partnership at the back with Dube in front of them as cover. 

2. Goalkeeping – Baxter again experimented. But this was perhaps because Brandon Petersen was the only keeper he was left with to train with both Itumeleng Khune and Bruce Bvuma playing the Compact Cup and Daniel Akpeyi with Nigeria at Afcon. He should go back to Akpeyi because his presence gives the defenders some confidence – no offence to Petersen, he acquitted himself very well by the way.  

3. Play an out-and-out striker – Without a striker, Galaxy’s job was easy defensively. They had to close the flanks (read Dolly and Khama Billiat) and that was it. Nkosingiphile Ngcobo was supposed to come in from deep and be the option up front but he took time to get used to the role. To give City defence something to think about, he needs to start either with Samir Nurkovic or Leonardo Castro, or both. 

4. Over reliance on Dolly – It seems Baxter’s plans are always based on Dolly making things happen. He looked out of form on Saturday and I was expecting that he would be substituted. He just could not get going and even missed what is easily a sitter based on his standards. Perhaps he should lessen the load on him and give others the same responsibilities. 

5. Add some steel in midfield – Phathutshedzo Nange was left alone in central midfield on Saturday and he struggled so much that he spent most of the time near his own box and an attempted back pass from him was all it took for Galaxy to get the winner. While he is good at winning balls, he clearly cannot do it alone – he is not Willard Katsande – and needs someone to help and with Alexander Cole out with an injury, Baxter needs to add some steel there.