New Coach Stuart Baxter Not Planning a Major Overhaul at Kaizer Chiefs
- New Kaizer Chiefs boss Stuart Baxter says he is not looking at dismantling everything at the club but finding a balance
- Baxter was announced as the new Chiefs manager on Wednesday and the chairman Kaizer Motaung has explained why they brought the 67-year-old back
- The English manager is expected to lead Amakhosi to the CAF Champions League final and says Wydad Casablanca will be a challenge
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Newly-appointed Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter says he will not make drastic changes at Naturena. This comes after Baxter was unveiled by the Soweto giants on Wednesday afternoon.
Speaking to the media, the former SuperSport United and Bafana Bafana boss has made it clear that he intends to ensure there is continuity.
Baxter has also acknowledged his predecessors such as Steve Komphela, Giovanni Solinas, Ernst Middendorp as well as Gavin Hunt, saying they were not bad managers.
Source: Twitter
According to the SowetanLive, the 67-year-old coach insists he will find a balance at Naturena as he looks to bring back the glory days.
Baxter unveils his plans
Baxter said as per the publication:
“I think it’s important that people understand that the coaches that have been here before me, they’re not bad coaches, they’re good coaches. Some of them are top coaches in this country and so this isn’t about me coming and dismantling everything that has been done.
“This is about me trying to find a better balance… maybe rebuilding the culture around the team. I think Kaizer Chiefs have moved forward a lot since I was here the last time. This time there’ll be a lot of expectations. I’ll have to manage that.”
Amakhosi will travel to Morocco for the opening tie set for 19 June and the return clash will be staged at the iconic FNB Stadium a week later. He added:
“There’s a challenge for me there [against Wydad]. I’ve got to try and identify a couple of things, maybe tactically, for these games. Wydad is a strong opponent but we’ve shown in the home game [that they won 1-0 in the group stages] that we can match them. We have to improve on our first leg.
“These two games, and hopefully the final, I am hoping they would serve as good preparations moving in and a springboard into the season.”
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Speaking to the club’s media team, chairman Kaizer Motaung said they need Baxter to have time to prepare for the 2021/22 DStv Premiership campaign.
“We need the coach to have enough time and prepare adequately for the new season. We did not have a decent pre-season due to Covid-19 and other factors last season, so we hope to use the CAF Champions League journey as a part of our preparation while trying to do well in the competition. It won’t be easy, but we believe the team and the technical staff around him will help with the transition.”
Mngqithi on Hunt’s axing
Looking at related sports stories, Briefly News reported that Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi believes coach Hunt didn’t fail at Chiefs. Mngqithi argues that it was unfortunate for his local counterpart to part ways with the Soweto giants.
The Masandawana boss says the former Bidvest Wits manager has enjoyed massive success at Naturena as he managed to lead the club to the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League.
Amakhosi have never qualified for the knockout stages of the continental tournament and the DStv Premiership winner has backed the former defender.
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Source: Briefly News
