The Du Preez & Duba gamble: How Chiefs’ surprise starters rattled Dladla

Durban City FC head coach Pitso Dladla has admitted that Kaizer Chiefs’ unpredictability made them a “tactical nightmare” to prepare for, following Amakhosi’s 1-0 victory at FNB Stadium on Sunday.

The win, which ended a difficult losing streak for the Soweto giants, was largely attributed to a starting line-up that caught the visitors completely off guard.

“𝗜 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗞 𝗪𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗨𝗥𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗘𝗗” — 𝗣𝗜𝗧𝗦𝗢 𝗗𝗟𝗔𝗗𝗟𝗔 𝗢𝗡 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗘𝗙𝗦’ 𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗧𝗪𝗜𝗦𝗧!

Durban City coach Pitso Dladla admits Kaizer Chiefs were a complete tactical “mystery box” yesterday after they made three unpredicted changes to their starting XI.… pic.twitter.com/CcIXh8oLAZ

— Pan-Africa Football (@PanAfricaFooty) March 16, 2026

The ‘Surprise’ Factor By Chiefs

Speaking to the media after the final whistle, Dladla revealed that the injury crisis at Naturena actually worked in Chiefs’ favor by making their match-day squad impossible to second-guess. The inclusion of attackers Ashley Du Preez and Wandile Duba in the starting XI was a particular curveball for the Durban City technical team.

“Honestly, Chiefs have been so unfortunate with injuries and suspensions,” Dladla told reporters. “Because of that, we couldn’t predict which line-up they were going to put out. I think we were surprised by three starters. We did not suspect players like Ashley Du Preez and Wandile Duba would be in the XI.”

Despite Chiefs’ recent dip in form, Dladla insisted that the results haven’t always reflected their performances. He noted that Amakhosi have “played very well” in several of their recent defeats, making them a dangerous opponent regardless of their position on the log.

Dladla admitted that his side eventually buckled under the sustained pressure applied by Cedric Kaze’s men.

“We succumbed to tremendous pressure. They possessed the ball much longer this time around. Our plan was to neutralise them in the first half and go all-out in the second, but they defended well, especially when they were in possession.”

Log Standings Shake-up

The 1-0 result sees a significant shift in the Betway Premiership standings. Kaizer Chiefs have now leapfrogged Durban City to claim fifth place, sitting on 33 points after 19 matches.

The victory provides much-needed breathing room for the Amakhosi technical team as they look to stabilise their campaign heading into the final stretch of the season.