Kaizer Chiefs head coach Arthur Zwane has explained his inspired decision to start Nkosingiphile Ngcobo and revealed what surprised him about Orlando Pirates in the Soweto Derby.
Ngcobo, 22, last earned a league start for Chiefs back in August, and his indifferent form and personal tragedy after the passing of his father some him out of the reckoning over the past few weeks.
However, the academy product earned a place in the eleven in the ten role and played the position with aplomb, finishing the full 90 minutes, which gave Pirates plenty to think about in the 1-0 defeat at FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Zwane suggested the suspension of Miguel Timm and the unavailability of other options would have forced Riveiro into fielding Goodman Mosele or Fortune Makaringe in the role, which he felt Mshini would find some joy against.
“I think we prepared Mshini reason being… we knew Timm was out and he’s given Pirates very good balance in the middle because he can fight for the ball and he can play, so whoever they were going to play between Makaringe or Mosele was always going to be our advantage and that’s why we brought in Mshini,” Zwane said in the post-match press conference at FNB Stadium.
“We knew Mshini was going to operate behind them, so that means they don’t have that strength in the middle, and yet when we defend, we’ll force them wide, especially when they play Saleng on the left, we’ll force them wide as a left-footed player. We forced them to play those crosses because we know they don’t have tall guys except [Zakhele] Lepasa.”
The Amakhosi coach admitted Riviero’s decision to add an extra striker into their line-up also played into their hands as they managed to stifile their midfield and attack, with Njabulo Blom earning plaudits for his role in closing the lines where Monnapule Saleng and Kermit Erasmus exploited in the 3-0 win over Mamelodi Sundowns last week.
“They surprised us when they started him but it worked to our advantage because that means they were less in midfield,” he continued.
“So we packed the midfield and we knew we were going to dominate the midfield and wait for the right moment to attack, it worked for us, and unfortunately we couldn’t take the chances we created from those moments. But yeah, I think the boys executed the plan very well.”
The win for Chiefs moved them seven points behind league leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, albeit having played two games more than the defending champions as the league heads into a mid-season break for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
