Zwane says mandate from Chiefs was clear after Nedbank failure

The answers Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane gave in his post-match Soweto Derby press conference after their defeat to Orlando Pirates were of a despondent man.

In his first season at the helm, Zwane was required to return the club to its glory days and bring back Amakhosi’s football philosophy.

While the Soweto giants showed signs of improvement under Zwane’s watch, the club will end the 2022/23 season trophyless after missing out on the MTN8, DStv Premiership and Nedbank Cup titles.

Chiefs’ barren spell this season has been due to their inconsistent displays and injuries, with Zwane admitting that he has made some mistakes.

Following Amakhosi’s 2-1 loss to arch-rivals Pirates at the FNB Stadium on Saturday, Zwane cut a dejected figure, which painted a grim picture of him staying put.

This was a totally different Zwane, who, at the start of the season, was confident he would get the Chiefs players dancing to his tune.

The Amakhosi legend had proclaimed that he would ensure his team plays scintillating football, not “magida sbhekane”, loosely translated as disorganised football.

ARTHUR ZWANE REVEALS HIS KAIZER CHIEFS MANDATE

And with Chiefs in the re-building process and largely looking like a disjointed team, a down-to-earth Zwane revealed his mandate at the club. It was to win a trophy in the first season of his three-year contract at Amakhosi.

“Winning cups at Kaizer Chiefs is my mandate,” said Zwane. “We were in a season where we wanted to get things right first. Bring in the right players, find a way of playing, get the right chemistry within the team.

“But we have to look at ourselves now as we move forward, how do we beef up and start challenging [for trophies]. So I think going into the semi-final of the MTN8 obviously gave us hope. And we had the opportunity to seal the game.

“It is more or less the same thing with the Nedbank Cup semi-final. We had opportunities to kill off the game early, and it wasn’t to be. But I believe going forward, we will take it one step closer, and we will learn from this one.”

ARTHUR ZWANE SHOULDERS BLAME FOR KAIZER CHIEFS’ FAILURE

Much of the blame is pinned on the shoulders of Zwane. Still, several seniors at Chiefs, including Keagan Dolly and Sifiso Hlanti, said players should also take responsibility for the club’s poor showings.

This season, Amakhosi’s Achilles’ heel has been squandering a series of clear-cut misses up front and conceding silly goals.

“A lot of people will see us as failures and forget where we come from. This is because of the demands of playing for Kaizer Chiefs and expectations,” added Zwane.

“But I understand, and I take it like a man. Yes, I’m disappointed, and I believe we should have done better.

“We have done a lot of things right… changing the squad, re-building from the ground. And it was never going to be easy anyway. Hence I said I’m very proud of the players.”

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