Kaizer Chiefs have reinforced their defensive ranks with new players and a new technical team member with a proven track record.
Kaze arrives at Chiefs with a glittering record
Cedric Kaze was unbeaten with Yanga for 21 matches, including 17 in the league and four outings in the Mapinduzi Cup. The new man in the Chiefs dugout knows what it takes to take the reins at a big club after serving as head coach of Young Africans for five months. Kaze steered them to their first Mapinduzi Cup win in three years. Ex-Yanga striker Yusuph Athuman has highlighted Kaze’s ability to keep clean sheets as a major strength.
“He excels at organising defences and would be a valuable asset in that role. As head coach of Yanga, his teams consistently maintained clean sheets and were known to be strong defensively,” Athuman told FarPost.
“Even when he was coaching Namungo after leaving Yanga, the Yanga of last season that would easily score five goals in one game toiled to get a win over him. They scored a last-gasp winner and won 1-0 in that fixture.”
A recipe for success
Kaze and Nasreddine Nabi have won six trophies together. In 2021-2022, Yanga conceded a miserly tally of eight goals in the league. In the following campaign, they went on an unbeaten streak which stretched their record to 49 matches without a defeat. The Tanzanian Invincibles. Tanzanian analyst Salum Pelembo reiterated Kaze’s defensive prowess:
“Kaze’s Yanga were very strong defensively and difficult to break down,” Pelembo said.
“That’s why they went 17 games unbeaten under Kaze. I’m sure Nabi will assign him to work on the defence, and he’ll definitely improve them.”
Kaze is a hands-on kinda guy
Athuman praised Kaze’s hands-on approach. “He trains with the players, which gives him a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses,” the striker explained.
Chiefs have picked a virtually new-look defensive unit in 2024-2025 with goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari, central defenders Inacio Miguel and Rushwin Dortley and left-back Bradley Cross all first-team regulars already.
Will Kaze be a winning appointment for Chiefs?
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