Dearth of strikers Chiefs’ Achilles heel
With Khama Billiat out with a minor hamstring issue and Leonardo Castro also unavailable, Amakhosi were not as sharp as they could have been and wasted some chances.
New Maritzburg United head coach Ernst Middendorp (Photo by Gallo Images)
Kaizer Chiefs coach, Ernst Middendorp has admitted that his team’s limited options up front has been detrimental to Amakhosi’s progress this season as lack of clinical displays in front of goal has cost them on numerous occasions.
The German mentor said this after Amakhosi were forced to share points with Golden Arrows after a 1-1 draw at FNB Stadium on Tuesday night in a game they could have easily won had it not been for poor finishing.
“We scored just one goal. We hit the crossbar and upright three times… we had many chances before we conceded. The result is disappointing especially after the dominance we enjoyed in the game,” he said.
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With Khama Billiat out with a minor hamstring issue and Leonardo Castro also unavailable, Amakhosi were not as sharp as they could have been and wasted some chances.
“The final pass must be precise and the final decision must be okay and you can compensate that better with defending. We tried to provide a structured quick ball circulation and movement off the ball. I will not complain too much about that because there were some moments where we did better.
“It was not the first time that we don’t convert the chances. But that’s what it is. We have to move forward work on it. We need to try and bring players who can solve this problem for example Lebogang Manyama. Hopefully we can bring him in soon,” added Middendorp.
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Manyama has been out with an injury but has recovered and is close to making it back into the team with Middendorp revealing that he might feature in the side’s last three matches this season.
“Manyama he was doing well before he got brutally kicked in the game against AmaZulu. He is a one of the most qualified players in terms f knowing where he needs to be in terms of decision making, passing the ball and finishing. It is absolutely disappointing that we still have to wait to have him back.
“We will see in the next few days what happens with him but he is probably not available for the weekend game (away at Bloemfontein Celtic) and he will probably play against Free State Stars where he should come in and have some minutes,” said the 60-year-old mentor.
On Billiat’s unavailability, he said: “Immediately after the game in Port Elizabeth he was indicating that he had some heavy hamstring issues. That was why he not available. Let’s leave it at that.”
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