Katsande explains Middendorp’s approach at Chiefs

Kaizer Chiefs captain Willard Katsande says that coach Ernst Middendorp and his assistant Shaun Bartlett encourage players to give their opinions before a common ground is agreed upon.

Katsande remains a key part of the Glamour Boys set-up under Middendorp despite recently turning 33.

Chiefs appear to have gained some stability in the Premiership since the German’s arrival although they were not quite at their best in getting knocked out of the Caf Confederations Cup by Zesco United of Zambia.

Nonetheless, since his arrival in early December to take over from Giovanni Solinas, Amakhosi have cut the gap on PSL leaders Bidvest Wits from 12 to seven points.

The Soweto giants occupy fifth place on the table with 27 points from 18 matches played.

The Zimbabwe international told reporters: “They (Middendorp and Bartlett) are giving us a structure and telling us to think about it, after which they always want to hear submissions from us.

“It’s a lot nicer because it allows the players to also express themselves, because we have so much talent and we can also benefit out of this.

“I think we are on the right track, and I trust the process. We can’t say we are there yet, but we are improving with each game. Every day at training we are learning and it pushes us to put everything into our DNA to understand what it is that the coach wants.

“He’s a guy who opens the door to you, asking, ‘What do you think?’ You then share opinions and he also submits his, and you find a common ground. I think that’s helping us a lot.

“Also, the player management is good because they give us energy when the chips are down, which makes the players always want to give their best and for the mood to be high. We’re headed in the right direction and there’s still room for improvement.”

Chiefs are next in action in a Nedbank Cup Round of 32 tie against minnows Tornado FC on Sunday at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape.— Sport24