Khune Explains Why Chiefs Starlets Struggle While Pirates' Youngsters Flourish

• Itumeleng Khune has given a detailed explanation concerning the reason Kaizer Chiefs youngsters struggle at the club compared to Orlando Pirates young guns
• The Buccaneers have gained successful result with trusting academy graduates since last season with Relebohile Mofokeng and Mohau Nkota being perfect examples
• The former South African international was part of the Glamour Boys squad last season but he was not in Nasreddine Nabi's plan which led to his release by the club

Kaizer Chiefs legend Itumeleng Khune has explained why his former club's youngsters struggle compared to Orlando Pirates starlets.

The second leg of the Soweto derby in the Betway Premiership was played this weekend, and the Buccaneers' academy product Relebohile Mofokeng made the difference, just like he did in the first leg.

The South African international scored the winning goal in the second half as the Sea Robbers secured all three points with a 2-1 win at the FNB Stadium.

Khune: Why Chiefs' youngsters struggle compared to Pirates’

In an interview with iDiskiTimes, Khune claimed the youngsters at Kaizer Chiefs are still struggling at the club because there's a new manager who is still trying to find his best lineup.

"I’ll keep it simple," said Khune.

"Coach Jose Riveiro has been with Orlando Pirates for three seasons now, and in that time, he’s built a strong bond with his players. He trusts them, gives them consistent game time, and that’s helped create a stable team environment.

"On the other hand, Coach Nabi is still new at Kaizer Chiefs. He’s in the process of getting to know the squad, experimenting with lineups, and looking for the right combinations. That naturally brings a bit of inconsistency, especially with the younger players.

"Take Mduduzi Shabalala, for example—he was a regular at the start of the season and scored some crucial goals. Vilakazi often came on late in games to help close things down, and Samkelo Zwane also had his moments. But because the coach is still trying to figure out his best setup, the youngsters haven’t had the same rhythm or consistency."

The Bafana Bafana legend went on to give a clearer explanation about Jose Riveiro making use of youngsters in the starting line up at Pirates.

"Pirates, after three years with the same coach, have found their groove. The starting XI is stable—Riveiro only makes a few tweaks here and there," he added.

"Meanwhile, at Chiefs, if one result doesn’t go our way, the whole lineup changes in the next match. That makes it hard to build cohesion.

"So, if you’re comparing the two situations, that’s why things look more settled at Pirates right now."

Khune shares how to save Chiefs' season

Briefly News earlier reported that Khune shared how Kaizer Chiefs can save their season after an underwhelming turn out so far in all competitions.

Amakhosi are currently languishing outside the top eight on the Betway Premiership table, but still have a chance to turn things around.

Source: Briefly News