Motaung Jr. wary of Kaizer Chiefs forthcoming challenge & urges all to keep heads on ground

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Motaung Jr. wary of Kaizer Chiefs forthcoming challenge & urges all to keep heads on ground

Kaizer Chiefs Sporting Director Motaung Jr. has warned against early celebrations by the supporters, insisting the main test will be in January.

The Glamour Boys are currently fourth on the table, just three points behind top duo Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates. The defending Premier Soccer League champions have played 12 games while Bucs and Amakhosi have played 11 each.

Sekhukhune United, who have a better goal difference, are third but have played a match more than Chiefs.

In CAF Inter-Club competitions, the Soweto giants are in the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup where they were placed alongside Zamalek, Al Masry and Zesco United.

January test coming

Motaung Jr. insists the back-to-back fixtures coming after the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations will be a massive challenge for the club.

“We have jam-packed fixtures coming up from January since the AFCON coming and the World Cup next year. 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,” he told the media. 

“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 work in progress.

“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.I know that we had a result that we didn’t want this past weekend but we are very focused and this is work in progress and everyone is working.We will talk at the end of May,” Motaung continued.

Youth team lauded but senior team urged to be ready for hurdles

“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 and take a different direction.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 said as the DDC team left for the United Kingdom.

Kaizer Chiefs 1
Image – Chiefs

“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, coach Jambo, they all work as a unit. They assist each other on different age groups because we want a similar approach from Under-14 all the way to the DDC.So, credit must go to them. 

“They are the ones who are working the hard work and the parents who trust us with their children.On the first team side we are on track in terms of what we want to do.Last year the big goal was to get back to Africa and the Nedbank Cup opened that door and now we have our next stretch which we are focusing on.

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

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Willis Sob

Author

Willis Sob is an experienced journalist who has been in the game since 2009, covering major assignments around the continent.
His hunger for African football is unmatched, always getting the best angles and facts to feed the fans and quench their thirst.

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