Kaizer Chiefs coach Baxter made Dolly-Billiat predictable - Mkhonza
Former Kaizer Chiefs defender Siphiwe Mkhonza says coach Stuart Baxter’s failure to “refresh” his squad during the January transfer window has exposed his star attackers Keagan Dolly and Khama Billiat.
Mkhonza says the partnership between the two Soweto giants stars is now easily read by opponents.
The pair was largely anonymous in Chiefs’ last two games where they were eliminated from the Nedbank Cup by TS Galaxy, before the 0-0 Premier Soccer League draw against Cape Town City.
“I look at this in two ways, Chiefs haven’t started well and didn’t go into the market to refresh their squad – so I don’t think Baxter has the players that suit his philosophy,” Mkhonza told Soccer Laduma.
“Secondly, I think he has become a single-minded and predictable coach in how he sets up Dolly and Billiat. People have started to identify how to deal with that combo, making Chiefs predictable and easy to plan against.
“You know their strengths and weapons. I think against Baroka [on Saturday] it’s a chance to show they can take advantage of a bruised side low on confidence and coming from a four-goal thrashing [Sekhukhune United].”
Mkhonza feels a player like winger Kgaogelo Sekgota should be added to the attacking mix and become a regular.
Sekgota was signed by Chiefs amid high expectations of him but has found it tough at Naturena and last saw action in November 2021.
The retired footballer feels Chiefs usually does not have a bench made up of impact players.
“But it’s also necessary now to have players like Sekgota to get regular game-time – for a team to do well, you need a good bench,” added Mkhonza.
“At Chiefs, who do you make subs with? You need subs that make an impact in a game, they don’t have a good bench. They need to sign players that suit Baxter.
“As for Chiefs, the transition style Baxter used initially when he was at the club, the opponents know how to plan for it. They know to use rest defence or counter-press, so that means they need a lot of work.”