Kaizer Chiefs: 3 reasons Amakhosi will continue suffering for a few more years

While Kaizer Chiefs and their fans continue to endure disappointment this season, there are reasons why the future might still not be bright.

Chiefs have endured a difficult last 11 years with the wait for the PSL title set to extend since their last crown in 2015.

The Glamour Boys find themselves 14 points behind joint leaders Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns even though the two have played 19 games as opposed to their 18.

Even if they were to win their game in hand, it would still be 11 points behind, which looks impossible given the inconsistencies of Chiefs.

At the moment, Chiefs are headed for a trophyless season, having ended their 10-year wait for a trophy by winning the Nedbank Cup last term.

That is not possible this time around as they were knocked out of the competition, coming after an early exit from the Carling Knockout, before being kicked out of the CAF Confederation Cup last month.

While there have been some improvements compared to last season, there are key factors why it will be difficult for Chiefs to return to their glory days in the next few years.

Poor recruitment

Kaizer Chiefs have not been getting it right in the transfer market, signing players who are either average or those their title rivals have released.

Chiefs are afraid to spend big in the transfer market and opt for quantity over quality which has not been yielding results yet they have stuck to the same approach.

A case in point is their list of strikers. The club has seven strikers on their books with some yet to play and others warming the bench. Out of them, only Flavio da Silva has impressed with six goals so far with the rest either managing one or none at all.

Instead, it is winger Glody Lilepo (four goals) and midfielder Mduduzi Shabalala (three goals) who are next on the top scorer’s chart.  

Many coaching changes

Another thing holding back Chiefs is their high turnover of coaches with Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze their eighth appointment in the last six years.

That chopping and changing has had an impact on the team as there is no continuity when different philosophies are being employed.

It also has a bearing on recruitment as each coach wants players who fit how he wants to play and at the end of this season, that is set to continue when Kaze and Ben Youssef are replaced by another man in the dugout.

That will only extend the cycle, meaning the rebuilding job will start again when their rivals are moving forward.

Sundowns’ quality & improving Pirates

The gap between Chiefs, Sundowns and Pirates will continue to be big given the Brazilians will not stop their big spending while the Buccaneers will keep improving the quality of their squad.

While Chiefs go for free agents and cheaper options, Sundowns are signing South American players and competing with European clubs for talent.

Sundowns spent over R50 million on Brayan Leon in January with the Colombian striker perhaps costing more than Chiefs entire transfer budget while Pirates have also started upping the ante while raking in millions by selling players to clubs broad, which has boosted their coffers.

It will be difficult for Chiefs to compete with that, meaning a title challenge will remain a mirage for a few more years unless there is a remarkable collapse from Sundowns while Amakhosi improve tremendously.

That looks to be a tough call as Chiefs have even failed to capitalise on Sundowns’ indifferent form this season.