'Helicopter concept worked at Kaizer Chiefs' – Middendorp

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Former Kaizer Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp has reflected on what he did right during his second stint at Amakhosi.

The 66-year-old German coach came close to ending Amakhosi’s league drought in 2020 but lost the league to Mamelodi Sundowns on the last day. After losing the league, Middendorp was fired by the club and replaced with Gavin Hunt.

Since his departure, the Soweto giants have never finished in the top four or won any silverware. Speaking on the SoccerBeat podcast, Middendorp explained why Kaizer Chiefs bottled the league title.

“Yeah it was a bit of a strange finish, there’s no doubt about it uh, we were on the way to really win the championship, we were very competitive the entire season. We got a break, I think in March if I am not mistaken, when Covid came in and we had a couple of weeks (off), we couldn’t train, we were able to go to the field and prepare the team for the rest of the season,” he said.

Middendorp came close to winning the league with Kaizer Chiefs

The German coach said during the bubble, the team played every four days, making it difficult for his players

“The team was depending on the physicality, dynamics and strong side to make the runs and be really explosive. Of course, we lost it a little bit in this direction, particularly some of the players didn’t do what was supposed to be done,” Middendorp explained how Kaizer Chiefs lost the league.

Middendorp admitted that he was criticised for his ‘helicopter football’ style of play but it worked for the team. “We were able to put something together and respect the individual quality we had,” he said.

“I think it was mentioned as a helicopter concept but on the other side, it is a very interesting product because at least it was a very clear concept in terms of set plays.”

Middendorp said finishing second in 2020 with Kaizer Chiefs is one of his biggest achievements as a coach.

“Finishing second that season was definitely something I thought was one of the biggest successes in my entire career. being competitive to Sundowns, a team which has been in front of everybody for the years before.

“Of course I would have loved to have presented the championship cup at the end of the season in particular to Kaizer Chiefs,” Middendorp added.