Content about their defensive structure, new Kaizer Chiefs coach Fernando da Cruz is hell-bent on beefing up the squad with a few offensive players, as he doesn’t want Amakhosi to be predictable.
Speaking with local media for the first time since his appointment as the new Chiefs coach last month, at the club’s Naturena Village on Friday morning, Frenchman Da Cruz cut a composed figure, although he spoke in French with the team’s new fitness trainer, Julien Le Héran, translating.
Da Cruz promised it was the first and last time he’d need translation to engage the media. The 54-year-old mentor had a brief spell at Chiefs two years ago as then-coach Nasreddine Nabi’s assistant before he left for a technical development project at the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) a few weeks before the start of the season.
He feels Chiefs’ squad has improved tremendously defensively compared to two seasons ago but wants to add offensive players to build a squad that will challenge for titles.
“If you compare the squad with two years ago, you can see that the team is now more complementary in terms of player profile,” Da Cruz said during a presser to preview Sunday’s Toyota Cup against Scottland of Zimbabwe at Royal Bafokeng Stadium.
“The defensive part is better. We have a good defensive structure, but now the next step is to work on the offensive part.
I’ve asked the management to have different profiles to be able to play different football and to also adapt to different game plans of the opposition throughout the season. We must be less predictable
— Fernando da Cruz, Kaizer Chiefs coach
“I am working with the management to maybe add new players in the offensive part of the squad to have a more complementary profile than we already have in the squad.”
The Amakhosi coach wants his team to have variety in attack and be unpredictable.
“There are four positions in the offensive part — striker, two wingers and attacking midfielder — so we have good profiles on those positions at the moment. But I’ve asked the management to have different profiles to be able to play different football and also adapt to different game plans of the opposition throughout the season. We must be less predictable.”
Kickoff against Scottland in Rustenburg is at 3pm. Da Cruz stressed the importance of this preseason game, the Toyota Cup.
“It’s the last game of our preseason, the last step of our preseason, and it will also be the first meeting with our fans [as the new technical team]. We need to assess the squad because we will know after this game which player will be ready or not for the start of the season,” Da Cruz stated.
The Chiefs coach revealed that midfielder Thabo Cele isn’t in his plans and that the club is willing to sell Glody Lilepo as the Congolese winger wants a new challenge. The pair weren’t part of Chiefs’ Spanish preseason tour.
Sowetan
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