Ex-Kaizer Chiefs star shares why many players fail at Naturena – ‘You have to be exclusive’

Former Kaizer Chiefs forward Joseph Molangoane has shared the reasons he feels have contributed to players struggling at Naturena.

Chiefs players have not fared well at the club especially in the last decade, a period in which they have not won the league title and the struggles continue even this term.

Amakhosi have been signing players who have been doing well elsewhere but they seem to crumble under the weight of expectations at Naturena and end up looking average, failing to rise to the occasion.

By contract, players at Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates have seemed to cope well and while Chiefs have been criticised for signing average talents, Molangoane feels succeeding at the club requires much more than talent.

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“You know, problem ukuthi, everyone wants to play for Chiefs, so when players come up against Chiefs, they display their A-game,” Molangoane told FARPost.

“They make sure. And then they sign him at Chiefs only to find that they left behind their best quality on that day they played against them. This makes things difficult for management and everyone else. It is a big team, and there is so much pressure.”

Molangoane claims it is difficult to live under the huge scrutiny at Chiefs compared to other clubs such as Sundowns and it needs a special character to deal with everything and still succeed on the pitch.

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“The pressure at Chiefs is so massive. The size of the fanbase is not the same,” he added. “You can play for Sundowns, and people still won’t recognise you in the streets; they can just walk past you. But for Chiefs, it is a different story. You experience the pressure on the streets and in shopping centres. It becomes difficult.”

“Chiefs need an exclusive talent. You have to be exclusive. You have to be special,” Molangoane further shared.

Chiefs signed 11 players in the off-season but none of them is yet to set the stage alight with some, such as Ethan Chislett, Nkanyisa Shinga and Luke Baartman, yet to make their debut for the club this season.