Kaizer Chiefs legend Pollen Ndlanya has warned that it will be a ‘serious setback’ for Amakhosi if they fail to qualify for the group stages of the Caf Confederation Cup.

Chiefs have it all to do

Fernando Da Cruz’ Chiefs have it all to do following a 1-0 defeat in Zambia to Red Arrows in the first leg of their final qualifier on Saturday. Chiefs will host Arrows in the 2nd leg at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Friday.

“If Chiefs were to be knocked out of continental competition before reaching the group stages, it would be a serious setback,” Ndlanya told this week’s edition of iDiski Times.

Ndlanya believes Chiefs’ squad could do with a shake up. Amakhosi drew three Betway Premiership matches on the spin before Saturday’s Confederation Cup loss, and the pressure is ramping up on Da Cruz.

“They need to improve the quality of their squad and give their development players a chance,” added Ndlanya.

“They should consider bringing several promising youngsters into the senior team and allowing them to compete for places … they need to build a team that can compete consistently.”

Chiefs made it into the group stages of the Confederation Cup last season under Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze, and were a little unlucky not to make the quarterfinals.

Failure to reach the group stages this time would certainly not reflect well on Da Cruz and his coaching staff.

Ndlanya, meanwhile, believes that there is talent in the current Chiefs squad, but that recruitment has been handled badly by the club.

“I am not saying the players they currently have are all bad,” he said.

“There are good players in the squad, but recruitment is about identifying the right players for the team and the way it wants to play. That is why I sometimes wonder who is responsible for recruitment at Chiefs. They need to make sure the players they bring in are suitable for the club’s needs.”