Zwane aims to return Chiefs to its trophy culture  | The Citizen

Arthur Zwane carries a huge responsibility on his shoulders: to return Kaizer Chiefs to where it used to be, a team who wins everything on offer. 

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That is the culture Zwane has been mandated to bring back to Naturena where a trophy was last seen eight years ago. 

And the first thing Zwane has to do is to win a trophy and appease the Chiefs supporters who have become too critical of everything because of the prolonged drought. 

Zwane has a chance to do that with the Nedbank Cup where he has managed to guide Chiefs to the quarterfinals. 

Chiefs meet Royal AM at Durban’s Chatsworth Stadium on tomorrow afternoon in a fixture bound to produce fireworks.

They are also still in contention for the second spot in the DStv Premiership which guarantees Caf Champions League football next season. 

“We don’t choose games at Kaizer Chiefs, we play to win every game… As much as we want to finish in position two in the standings at the end of the season, we still want to win the cup,” said Zwane.

Chiefs up against it in Durban

“That has been the culture of the club, you know the history of the club has always been about winning silverware for our supporters.

“We take every game seriously and we are not going to select games. We are not going to say, ‘this game is more important than the other one’ because all games are important.”

With Chiefs fighting on two fronts, Zwane says he has to find the balance by sometimes rotating his squad. 

Zwane does juggling act

“The only thing you can do is juggle the squad around if need be, but the focus is to make sure we finish as high as possible on the log,” he added.

“We also have to make sure we go all the way to the final in the cup. We want to win it and we want to win everything.”  

In Royal AM, Chiefs have an opponent who are very difficult to predict. Like Chiefs, Thwihli Thwahla have been blowing hot and cold this season. 

On a bad day, Royal AM can lose embarrassingly. But on a good day, they can put up a fight and hammer any team.

But Zwane does not seem worried by that as he says his team will play their normal attacking game.

“We are not going to hold back,” says the Chiefs mentor. “Because this is the perfect opportunity for us to go to the next round of this competition. 

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“There are no easy games, whether you are playing against one of the big teams in the country or the so-called small teams. 

“All the games are difficult, what is important is to plan accordingly and make sure you profile the opposition properly.”