Kaizer Chiefs News Today: Stubborn Da Cruz compared to Amorim & Shabalala on how Nedbank win saved him

Latest Kaizer Chiefs news, including Tsepo Masilela’s Ruben Amorim comparison for Fernando da Cruz and Mduduzi Shabalala admits Nedbank Cup win saved his career.

Masilela draws Amorim parallel with Da Cruz

Kaizer Chiefs are unbeaten in the Betway Premiership, but former Bafana Bafana full-back Tsepo Masilela says Fernando da Cruz’s tactical approach raises some serious questions.

Amakhosi have taken 13 points from seven league matches, with three wins and four draws. They have scored 12 goals and conceded seven. Masilela believes those defensive lapses are costing the team points despite its attacking output.

Speaking on the Soccerbeat podcast, the Chiefs legend pointed to the Frenchman’s use of Pule Mmodi. Da Cruz has deployed the natural winger as a wing-back. Masilela argued that this doesn’t make Chiefs a defensive side, and that the mistakes at the back keep letting the team down.

“When I look at the way they set up, I don’t think they’re defensive, he could say he’s playing a winger a wingback in Pule Mmodi but also his team is scoring but the mistakes at the back always disappoint them and sees them drop points,” he said as quoted by GOAL.

“It’s the similar things that happened to Manchester United when they hired Ruben Amorim, even when he got suggestions that he should change his back three, he opted to lose his job while playing in a way he believed in.”

Did Kaizer Chiefs do their homework?

Masilela also questioned whether the club did enough due diligence before appointing Da Cruz.

He noted that South African fans had never watched the coach lead a major African side such as Pyramids FC or Yanga SC. That means they never got a clear picture of whether he favours attacking or possession-based football.

Masilela wondered whether Chiefs checked how he plays and if it fits the culture the club prefers.

The four draws show Da Cruz is still searching for the right formula, and the Betway Premiership leaves little room for error. Whether his approach can adapt to South African football is the question hanging over him.

Shabalala on how Nedbank win saved him

Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Mduduzi Shabalala admits that the Nedbank Cup win in 2025 helped him fall in love again with football.

Chiefs ended their 10-year wait for a trophy when they defeated Orlando Pirates 2-1 in the final and Shabalala says it was a great moment not just for the club for him personally.

The midfielder says he had endured not just frustration but ridicule but when they won the trophy, his confidence returned and also helped him regain his appetite for the game.

“That final meant a lot for me. We have always been the laughing stock, mocked by people, not knowing what we were going through,” said Shabalala on Giants.

“It reignited my love for football which was running out.”