NEDBANK CUP: Cavin Johnson aiming to restore renowned Kaizer Chiefs culture

Johnson has assumed the managerial reins at the Soweto Giants on an interim basis and has overseen eight matches with zero defeats in their last five matches.

Amakhosi are languishing in sixth position in the DStv Premiership standings with the Nedbank Cup being the last realistic shot at lifting a trophy in the 2023/24 season.

Standing in their way is a Round of 32 clash against second-tier side Milford FC.

“I always say, modern-day football is about being possession-based – press high – press low – play between the lines – play with set-pieces, all those little questions,”  Johnson said.

“For me, the game hasn’t changed. It’s still played in a square, with a round ball and it’s still 11 v 11.

“The history of Kaizer Chiefs has always been based on possession and they always had players able to dictate the pace of the game. That for me is the important thing that we are working on.

“It’s about how quickly you’d like to play the game, and at what pace would you like to play the game. When [Patrick] Ace Ntsoelengoe was around he would always kill the game, no matter where he was. That was the one thing that Kaizer Chiefs had always had. They had Ace playing on one side and Teenage Dladla on the other side who was like a jet, who would get the ball and the rest was history.

“Then in the Doctor Khumalo generation, you had the same thing who could kill the game with possession, and hit teams on the counter.

“So, we are still far off of that, and I think we are still building towards those areas where we were once dominant, and we haven’t lost yet since I’ve been here.

“It’s only winning that allows you to build a different culture.”

Chiefs will host Milford FC at the FNB Stadium on Sunday.

Kick-off is at 18:00.