After Kaizer Chiefs could not qualify for the MTN8 for the second consecutive season, KickOff lists five factors that cost them, with the help of one of the club's former strikers.
Amakhosi finished the season in ninth place, meaning for the second successive campaign they will not be taking part in the MTN8. This has divided opinion on whether Nasreddine Nabi should be kept as head coach, especially after winning the Nedbank Cup to end a 10-year silverware wait.
1. New signings not good enough?
At the beginning of the Season, the club signed goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari, Bradley Cross, Gaston Sirino, Bongani Sam, Njabulo Blom, and Rushwin Dortley, then in January brought in Makabi Lilepo, Tashreeq Morris, and Thabo Cele.
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2. Low conversion rate
Chiefs finished the season as the team that created the most chances, even ahead of Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates, but their finishing let them down on many occasions.
"I saw a game where they played Orlando Pirates. I was at the stadium, they missed a lot of chances," noted Mphela.
3. Type of football, best XI
With the line-up changing often, Nabi could not build an identity in the team or style of play.
"Towards the middle of the season, we couldn't see what they were trying to do, the philosophy, the type of football, who is Chiefs' best line-up? It took long to figure out the starting XI," suggested the ex-Bafana Bafana marksman.
4. Reliance on youngsters
Before going into the market in January, with Sirino injured, Amakhosi relied heavily on Mduduzi Shabalala, Wandile Duba, and Mfundo Vilakazi to create spark and score goals up front.
"You can't expect youngsters to win you games, especially for a big brand like Kaizer Chiefs. Lilepo came in, but it was too late," 'Killer' went on.
5. Goalkeeping issue
The Soweto giants started the campaign with Ntwari as their number one but dropped him in the eighth game of, with a lot of points dropped.
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"There was the issue of a goalkeeper. I don't think Bvuma was convincing enough. The errors they made cost them points"
*Other Mphela quotes also courtesy of interview on TimesLIVE Video YouTube Channel.
