Why signing more Kaizer Chiefs players won’t solve anything – Baxter responds after draw

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Stuart Baxter says brandishing the cheque book won’t solve their problems following their clash with TS Galaxy on Sunday.

The Soweto giants were held to a 0-0 draw by the Rockets in their opening match of the 2021/22 PSL season which was played at Mbombela Stadium. 

Sifiso Hlanti, Kgaogelo Sekgota, Phathutshedzo Nange, Cole Alexander, and Keagan Dolly have all joined Amakhosi in the current transfer window.

However, Chiefs remain winless this season having lost to Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 clash last week and Baxter insisted that signing players don’t guarantee success. 

“Cheque books don’t usually solve anything. I think if you draw a game 0-0 away from home and then your only solution is the cheque book then that’s a big question mark against the coach,” Baxter told SuperSport TV. 

“We’ll do some good work on the training ground, we’ll try and inspire them. Our first line of attack will be to do the work on the training ground.”

The British tactician, who is in his second stint as Amakhosi coach, admitted that his side was not good enough against a stubborn Galaxy side.

“Going into the first game you know very little because you’ve got very little to go on,” he said as he reflected on the match. 

“They’ve got new players and you don’t know if the coach is going to change. In principle, they played the way we thought they would play. We just weren’t good enough. Our quality was too poor, especially on the breakdown.

“To get longer attacks and pick our way through a man-to-man inspired type of defence, when we did I thought we looked okay, but we didn’t do it enough and the decision-making on the pitch wasn’t good enough tonight.”

Chiefs’ star striker Samir Nurkovic was surprisingly substituted for Keagan Dolly just nine minutes into the second-half and Baxter explained why he made the change. 

“Samir was frustrated because good players usually are when they’re not performing well. So Samir was trying very hard, But he just wasn’t producing what he can produce,” he continued.

“So Keagan’s fitness allows him to play half an hour, forty minutes, a half. So we looked for the mobility and when he first came on I got what I wanted but because the decision-making drifted in and out we didn’t get it enough.

“It’s a frustrating evening. A point away from home you’re on the board. We get more information and hopefully, the players like Keagan get those extra minutes and we can make tweaks to the way we play.”

Baxter is hopeful that Chiefs can secure a victory when they take on Baroka FC at FNB Stadium on Wednesday with Bakgaga Ba Mphahlele having started the new term with a 2-0 win over Marumo Gallants.

“Hopefully we will take three points in our next game. I think the build-up play has got to be there before you get strikes on goal. I think there was one strike from us, one strike from them and everything else was a war of attrition,” he added.

“Some sort of quality or a set play was going to win the game but neither side produced that so maybe 0-0 was the best both of us could hope for.”