Why Cross And Ndlovu Missed Siwelele Loss

Kaizer Chiefs co-coach Cedric Kaze has explained the absence of Bradley Cross and Siphesihle Ndlovu after their impressive performances in the Soweto derby, as Amakhosi suffered a disappointing defeat to Siwelele on Wednesday night.

The duo had delivered strong displays against Orlando Pirates over the weekend but were notably absent from the matchday squad against Siwelele.

Another derby participant, Sibongiseni Mthethwa, started on the bench, but it was the absence of Ndlovu and Cross that drew the most attention as Chiefs struggled to maintain momentum.

Kaze revealed that the changes were influenced by fitness concerns and the need to manage player workload during a demanding period.

“Actually, we made two changes involving Cross and Ndlovu,” he said.

“Ndlovu didn’t train in the last two days. He felt discomfort and has been assessed by our medical team, and we are awaiting the results. Bradley Cross has played a lot of games in recent days, and we felt it was the right time to rotate.

“It was only those two changes, and after the game, as a coach, you ask yourself whether you should have made more changes to bring in fresh minds and fresh legs. But that’s football—we will take this as a lesson and learn from it going forward.”

Impressively, Chiefs have won 65% of matches featuring Ndlovu this season.

Shifting focus to another player, the former Young Africans assistant coach also explained the decision to deploy Glody Lilepo as a central striker rather than in his usual wide position. Lilepo operated as a number nine in both the derby and the clash against Siwelele.

“Lilepo is a very versatile player because he can play as a nine and as a winger,” he added.

“Sometimes we use him as a nine depending on the type of game we are playing and the opponent we are facing.

“Having players like that gives you more options, but he is comfortable both as a nine and as a winger.”

Amakhosi will return to action next Wednesday when they travel to Loftus Versfeld Stadium, where Ndlovu and Cross will be hoping to return to the matchday squad, build on their derby performance, and help Chiefs get back to winning ways.