Former Kaizer Chiefs and AmaZulu striker Siyabonga Nomvethe is confident that Vusi Vilakazi and Arthur Vilakazi will be successful as co-coaches at Usuthu.

Both individuals were appointed to the role after Usuthu’s poor start to the season, losing all three matches in the Betway Premiership. This led to the dismissal of coach Pablo Franco Martin, who had been tasked with securing a top-four finish.

With Usuthu struggling at the bottom of the league, Vilakazi and Zwane will need to hit the ground running.

“As much as they brought Arthur to work with Vilakazi, I believe they will do something,” said Nomvethe during the Siyabonga Nomvethe Schools Cup on Saturday.

“You can’t bring someone who has coached at the biggest club, and Vilakazi has coached at some big clubs, and expect them to fail. They just need the support. They are coming to a club that hasn’t earned a point, and you can’t judge them unfairly. As much as president Sandile Zungu has tasked them, all they need is the support.

“At the end of the day, players are playing, not the coaches. It’s up to the players to deliver what the president has tasked them to do.”

It seems that coach Benni McCarthy and Nomvethe put a lot of pressure on their successors to take over at AmaZulu after helping Usuthu finish second in the 2020/21 season, the highest finish in their history.

However, McCarthy and Nomvethe were dismissed in March 2022 after Usuthu struggled to replicate that form. Subsequent coaches have also struggled to achieve similar results, with AmaZulu failing to finish in the top eight for the past two seasons.

Nomvethe explained what worked well between him, McCarthy, and first assistant Vasili Manousakis.

“Remember, we all have different strengths and approaches, and you can’t play like Siyabonga Nomvethe. You can’t compare Nomvethe and Benni McCarthy because they are two different people,” said Nomvethe.

“I was learning from Benni to become a better coach for the players. It was nice working with him because our strikers were scoring goals, as we were both strikers ourselves.

“We focused on finishing, and I would always offer to work on shooting drills with the strikers, even in the afternoons. Training strikers was our responsibility.”

Vilakazi and Zwane’s first task as co-coaches will be in the Carling Knockout Cup round of 16 against Stellenbosch FC at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Friday.