Kaze reveals Kaizer Chiefs’ crucial area of improvement

Kaizer Chiefs co-coach Cedric Kaze has identified the most significant area of improvement for the Amakhosi this season, which is the club’s defensive stability.

Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef recently stepped up to lead the Glamour Boys for the remainder of the campaign, following the mutual and “shocking” departure of head coach Nasreddine Nabi. Nabi, who arrived in July 2024, had famously delivered the club’s first trophy in nearly a decade by winning the 2025 Nedbank Cup.

Now at the helm, the former assistants face the tough task of building a competitive side capable of challenging for major silverware, having already exited the Carling Knockout Cup earlier this month.

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Kaizer Chiefs Defence is the “Strong Foundation”

Speaking at the Kaizer Chiefs Village on Monday, Kaze highlighted the remarkable shift in the team’s ability to protect its own goal. The Soweto giants have already achieved five clean sheets in eight league matches this season, a stark contrast to their previous form.

“Last season, we were a team that was leaking goals all the time. I don’t believe that we kept five clean sheets for the whole of last season,” Kaze said. “This team has gone three or four games without conceding a goal recently.”

The coach emphasised that this solidity is the bedrock of their long-term project. “If you want to build a house, you start with a strong foundation. So our foundation is to lock up in defence and the system of playing.”

While praising the defensive improvement, Kaze quickly shifted focus to the next area needing urgent attention: the attack.

The co-coach believes a solid defence provides the forward players with the confidence to take risks and score. However, he admitted that improving clinical finishing remains the main hurdle for the team right now.

“The one thing I believe we need to work on is our confidence in scoring,” he stated. “There are no issues with getting the last pass, but we need to raise our awareness in front of the net; we need to be hungry to put numbers in the box.”

Kaze also touched on the human element of the pressure facing Chiefs’ strikers. “Sometimes a player misses a goal and the next day on social media they’re just killing him, so that takes time to build the confidence,” he noted, underscoring the delicate balance between expectation and development at Naturena.