Former Kaizer Chiefs Coach, Muhsin Ertugral believes Arthur Zwane’s tactics are the reasons behind forward Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana’s recent poor form.
ThisIsFootball.Africa spoke exclusively with Muhsin Ertugral, a man who fully understands what it feels like having to replace a player due to fan pressure.
“This is an incident that happens all over the world, we also have a situation like that right now here at Boca Juniors.” Ertugral told ThisIsFootball.Africa from Argentina, where he is observing the football of Argentina in Buenos Aires.
“The coach had to substitute the player because he was not fulfilling the expectations of the team and because of the stress from the supporters. Everybody knows the expectation of a team like Kaizer Chiefs is very high. Chiefs have not been successful as a club for a long time. Because of this, the demands are very high on the players. Therefore, when you substitute a player, you then must work on that player from a psychological point of view in training.
The former Chiefs coach who also had a spell at Pirates, went on to explain how new players signed from foreign countries only experience the pressure once they start playing. That means mentally, as a coach, you must be a good judge of your players when taking decisions on the field of play.
“I had many situations like that, but most of the time I stood with the player because the game is a moment situation,” Muhsin continued.
“The game can change in a second. So, it’s important because the dynamics of the game can change and then the supporters can change immediately afterwards also. At that moment the supporters are very emotional. The decision depends on the player’s mental state, if it’s disastrous, you have to take him off because it could affect the other players also. I always feel for the new players like Caleb because they come from a different background, it’s difficult to play for Kaizer Chiefs, you must perform. The demand is high to win trophies so players from outside, they can never imagine what it is like.
“Is Zwane playing him in a role where he can help the team, or can the team help him?
“I feel Chiefs haven’t found the right rhythm or right DNA”.
We asked Muhsin if Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana’s struggles are due to Arthur Zwane’s tactics, which in turn pushes the supporters to boo and make hand gestures so that the coach is forced to replace him. “That is what I’m saying, I’m saying that Zwane’s tactics plays a role in Caleb’s recent poor form because the team needs to find its identity. It’s not enough to win one game, but the team needs to move towards the process of challenging. This is what the supporters demand.”
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