The high-stakes rebuilding phase at Naturena under French tactician Fernando Da Cruz isn’t convincing everyone. In a highly critical assessment, legendary former Kaizer Chiefs marksman Shane McGregor has completely written off Amakhosi’s chances of challenging for silverware in the upcoming Betway Premiership season, claiming the club is dangerously ignoring its attacking line.
While the club recently finalized the acquisitions of central defender Thabo Moloisane and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Renaldo Leaner, McGregor feels the heavy emphasis on defensive recruitments leaves the squad completely toothless up front.
Kit Nostalgia vs. Harsh Modern Reality
While McGregor heavily complimented the stunning new away kit—which pays direct homage to the club’s iconic double-winning 1992 campaign where he and Fani Madida combined for a historic 54 goals—he warns that nostalgia won’t win matches.
“The new away jersey is very similar to the iconic one; it reminds me of the good old days when the club could score goals and win games,” McGregor told KickOff. “Now they can’t. They need a miracle. They can’t score goals, but now it seems they want to strengthen the defense. How are they going to win games? If you look at the players they’ve brought in, it’s defenders and a goalkeeper.”
“You Can’t Defend for 98 Minutes”
The iconic former striker emphasized that a defensive mentality completely goes against the traditional, free-flowing attacking identity that made Kaizer Chiefs the most feared footballing institution in South Africa.
- The Tactical Flaw: “We are not gonna see a Kaizer Chiefs if they are defensive. The Chiefs that wore similar jersey was feared and respected for scoring goals and putting teams under pressure,” McGregor pointed out.
- The Global Lesson: “We saw it in the World Cup; you can’t defend for 98 minutes. You will break down somehow. And if you are not scoring goals, you can’t win games. It’s a problem.”
Amakhosi are currently fine-tuning their squad in Europe, having most recently played out a 1-1 pre-season stalemate against Scotland’s Rangers FC. However, unless the board secures a premium, elite goalscorer before the transfer window slams shut, McGregor believes a title challenge is entirely off the table.
