'Alot to Work On' - Kaizer Chiefs Technical Director on Strategy to Make Confederation Cup Knock Outs

Kaizer Chiefs Sporting Director Kaizer Motaung Jr believes the demanding January schedule will reveal the team's true capabilities this season.

Amakhosi currently occupy fourth place in the DStv Premiership standings, just three points behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns. However, their recent form includes a CAF Confederation Cup group stage loss to Al Masry on Saturday.

Reflecting on the team's progress from last season's ninth-place finish under Nasreddine Nabi, Motaung Jr is holding off on any definitive judgments until after the congested post-AFCON period.

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Speaking to the media at the DDC team send-off event at Naturena on Tuesday, he highlighted the upcoming challenges. "We have jam-packed fixtures coming up from January since the AFCON is coming and the World Cup next year," Motaung Jr explained.

"I think the period when we come back in January will be the true test of where we are. So, it is very much keeping our heads on the ground and making sure that we stay focused."

The sporting director acknowledged improvements in one key area while pointing out where the team needs to sharpen up. "We have done very well in terms of one area, which is reducing the number of goals that we concede, but now we need to make sure we convert our chances. It is a work in progress," he stated.

Motaung Jr expressed confidence in the coaching staff, despite the recent setback. "I think the technical staff in the first team, coach Khalil and coach Cedric, are working very hard together with the analysis team. There is a lot more understanding," he told journalists.

"I know that we had a result that we didn’t want this past weekend, but we are very focused... We will talk at the end of May."

The former striker also emphasized that the club's current direction is part of a long-term strategy focused on youth development and restructuring.

"It is very much collective and stems from a few years ago when we took a deliberate step to restructure and lower our average age," he added. "If you look at the set-up of the technical team at youth level and their proximity to the first team, that is the transitional area that we invested in. Very much a plan."

He gave credit to the youth coaching setup for their unified approach. "On the youth side, a lot of credit must go to the technical staff—coach Vela and coach Sheppy—and just how we operate with coach Bhanjee, coach Tshidiso, and coach Jambo. They all work as a unit," Motaung Jr said.

"They assist each other on different age groups because we want a similar approach from Under-14 all the way to the DDC."

Looking at the bigger picture, he concluded that the club is meeting its objectives. "On the first-team side, we are on track. Last year the big goal was to get back to Africa, and the Nedbank Cup opened that door," he noted.

"We are in the group stages, which was important, and now need to find our strategy to qualify for the knockout stages. In the league, we only have one defeat and are tied for second, which is a good start, but the league is a marathon, so there is a lot to work on."