Lack of senior heads at Chiefs a concern for George Maluleka

In the build-up to Sunday’s Soweto Derby against rivals Orlando Pirates at FNB Stadium, Maluleka reflected on his time at Naturena, where experienced figures played a key role in lifting morale during difficult moments.

He feels the squad has a mix of talent but the younger players would benefit from greater experience.

"If I look at when I joined Kaizer Chiefs, at the time, we had a lot of senior players that were part of Bafana Bafana: Khune, Shabba, Yeye and Parker. Those guys were the senior players at the time, and they were playing for Bafana. These were the guys that were running with the game and also dictating on the field of play," said Maluleka

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"At the moment, do I think Kaizer Chiefs has those players? Right now, they only have a few. They have a few players that can really lift their hands and say, "We are the ones; we are the senior players."

"Maboe, for example, and Cele. For me, those two guys can, but they just joined the team, They also have Vilakazi and Shabalala that are coming up. They should be looking up to these guys because these players have played at the highest level - with Maboe at Sundowns having played Champions League as well.

Maluleka did go on, however, to suggest that if academy players are helping the team get the desired results then perhaps their maturity levels are less of a factor. 

‘Mido’, who later joined Sundowns from Chiefs, added that had the Glamour Boys been a lot more confident this season they would be chasing more than just a third place spot in the Betway Premiership. 

 Chiefs suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat in the previous Soweto Derby two months ago and Maluleka doesn’t see it happening again.