Kaizer Chiefs 2021/22 Preview – Transfers, Depth, Baxter And Last Season

Kaizer Chiefs had a disastrous league season last time out before squeezing into the top 8 on the final day. Amakhosi reached the CAF Champions League final against the odds but Gavin Hunt was fired anyway and Stuart Baxter has returned. With nine new signings on board, can we expect Chiefs to challenge for silverware this season?

Last Season

Hunt had a bit of a disaster last term after his appointment. Chiefs had their worst ever PSL start with him in charge before three wins in eight days in January and then another poor run in the league. The side did reach the CAF Champions League final but the context should be mentioned: getting out of the group thanks to facing a completely second-string Wydad Casablanca team and squeezing through the quarter-finals despite a 3-0 thrashing away to Simba SC.

They did do well defensively in the semi-finals though and were on a hiding-to-nothing having ten men for 45 minutes in the final against Al Ahly. A final day win after Hunt’s sacking saw them pip TS Galaxy to eighth spot, which saved face to some extent.

Transfer Ban Over

This has been a big off-season for Kaizer Chiefs, who signed nine players after the end of their transfer ban. Many of those signings were well known a year ago as Sifiso Hlanti, Kgaogelo Sekgota and Phathu Nange spent last season “on loan” at other clubs and Brandon Petersen completed his injury rehab at Naturena. As big, is the return of Stuart Baxter to the PSL after his acrimonious departure from India.

The question to ask is just how good the signings are; the club have added a goalkeeper in a stacked position already, two central defenders (one of whom has never played in the top flight), two left-backs when only one can start, two much-needed central midfielders and two wingers including marquee addition Keagan Dolly.

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Baxter is very well known to love experienced players – remember this is the coach who called up Clayton Daniels and Morgan Gould, combined age of 67, to the Bafana squad in 2017 – and that is unlikely to change.

Without a doubt, the four older signings will be selected regularly and could all make a massive difference in problem positions. Cole Alexander and Phathu Nange bring much more ball-playing ability and athleticism to central midfield with the struggling Willard Katsande finally released after three poor seasons in a row. Hlanti is likely to keep Mabiliso on the bench for the most part at left-back whilst Dolly will start when fit. Baxter is probably not going to drop his veteran centre backs in Daniel Cardoso and Erick Mathoho despite Njabulo Ngcobo winning the PSL Defender of the Season award with Swallows.

Dolly is a risk after averaging just 700 minutes per season at Montpellier and now earning a massive salary at Chiefs rumoured to be over R1m per month. If he can stay fit, there is plenty of upside but the best season of his career was the 2015-16 campaign and that remains the only truly excellent form in his career thus far.

Baxter’s Tactics

It will be interesting to see how Baxter sets up his side. He surprised everyone by selecting to use a midfield diamond in the MTN8 against Mamelodi Sundowns with Bernard Parker upfront alongside Samir Nurkovic with Khama Billiat behind them and winger Sekgota narrow on the right.

In the past, he has used a flat 4-4-2 on occasion as well as a 4-2-3-1 shape. What’s clear is that it will almost always be a back four with two holding midfielders and three attackers, with the final position either a fourth attacking player or an extra central midfielder.
The coach’s first Chiefs side were happy to cede possession, draw opponents onto them and then play using fast transitions. The majority of the goals came from counterattacks and set plays and that could continue.

However, Baxter’s Bafana Bafana side at the 2019 AFCON were expected to play that way and instead looked to build-up, kept possession and even used Dean Furman to play out from a false fullback position. If Baxter looks to modernise his preferred style of play, it could actually backfire – his sides look at their most organised and effective playing a transition-focused game.

Squad Depth

Looking at the squad, Chiefs look in much better shape than a year ago. Some of that is thanks to Gavin Hunt’s faith in Njabulo Blom, Happy Mashiane, Nkosingiphile Ngcobo and Siyabonga Ngezana. The quarter were arguably the four best players last season despite all being young academy products. The worry is that all four could play significantly less this season under Baxter, both due to greater competition and the coach’s faith in experienced players.

The side’s defence has looked a major worry and it’s concerning that Baxter may continue to keep faith with underperforming players, in particular Erick Mathoho but also Daniel Cardoso as undisputed first choice selections. He is also set on making Itumeleng Khune number one again even though Bruce Bvuma finished last season excellently and Brandon Petersen has bags of talent despite his injury woes.

The attack needs far more goals than last season where Billiat continued his 18-month funk, Samir Nurkovic netted just six times and Leonardo Castro was the top scorer in all competitions with just nine strikes (and he is set for three months out with injury). Keeping everyone else fit would help and at least Billiat is already off the mark, turning home an assist from Dolly against Sundowns.

Verdict

Chiefs have a much stronger squad now than last season and a somewhat stronger starting XI. Solid additions have been made but the quality of their work in the market has been a little overstated. It’s probably a stretch to expect a title challenge but the club should realistically finish in the top three or four places. What would be a real pity is if Baxter is not willing to shake things up and trust the younger players in preference to the 30+ veterans who have let the side down in recent seasons.
Prediction:

Best Possible Finish: Second

Worst Possible Finish: Seventh