Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter says he hopes to see young midfielder Nkosingiphile Ngcobo play in more games when the AmaKhosi are at full strength after their Covid-19 issues in December.
Chiefs will next be in action on 12 February against TS Galaxy at FNB Stadium in their Nedbank Cup last-32 clash.
In December the club was hit with around 50 cases of Covid-19, which knocked the wind out of their sails when attempting to try and make a challenge to the Mamelodi Sundowns dominance of the DStv Premiership.
Due to the Covid-19 outbreak AmaKhosi were unable to honour the fixtures against Cape Town City and Golden Arrows.
In the three games they were able to play Chiefs won two and lost one with the 22-year-old Ngcobo playing a positive part in those matches.
Ngcobo’s performances have given Baxter plenty to think about.
“He’s definitely put his hand up,” Baxter said.
Good morning KhosiNation happy Monday #Amakhosi4Life . I greet you all in the name of Nkosingiphile Ngcobo . The boy has skill, great passer of the ball. He can also shoot from long range and score goals for us ❤&✌. pic.twitter.com/IuuVjaznND
— Ayakhanya Khoselihle (@Tobisani1) February 7, 2022
“Football is cut and thrust. Mshini [Ngcobo] gets a bit of an embellished role because we’ve got the Covid-19 thing, and he takes that opportunity. And then he played again, and he put his hand up again. So when we get back we have to think about a way of playing that gets all our best players on the field.
“Whatever shape we have to the team he’s telling me, ‘You better have me in mind’. He’s not doing anything I didn’t think he could. Credit to him that he does it in that way… And that’s football.
“So it isn’t a question of I don’t like him and Sheppie [Sheppard] and Arthur thought it was a great idea to smuggle him into the team. Because if that was the case I would just bin him again.
“But I’m serious about trying to find a system that will get in Keagan Dolly, Mshini, Khama Billiat, Bernard Parker, maybe Samir Nurković coming back. One of them is not going to be in the line-up. I’ve got to get as many of them on the field as I can. Maybe we have to be a bit more creative with that.
Nkosingiphile Ngcobo with a beautiful goal for Kaizer Chiefs. It's 1-0*#DStvPrem pic.twitter.com/PHHQyfmRu5
— Front Runner (@FrunSports) December 12, 2021
“I can understand if there’s a perception that, ‘Well, he didn’t play too many games for you’. But I would say at that point he was up against Keagan, who was flying; Khama, who was flying; [while] Bernard was probably one of our best players.
“Mshini wasn’t doing a lot wrong. But it just felt like we weren’t playing in a shape that has four front players, we had three. And I tried him as an eight and didn’t think he ran on well. So where we played him [in December], coming in off the left in that pocket or drifting in as a No 10 role, that’s where he should play for us,” Baxter added.
Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter says if he didn't want Nkosingiphile Ngcobo in the line up, he was gonna come back, find Dillon and Arthur playing Ngcobo, and "bin" him again. He says he's trying to find a system that can accommodate Ngcobo, Khama, Parker, Nurkovic, Dolly. pic.twitter.com/HuzVwRVh08
— A Dog That Bites (@SkepeMatsebane) February 3, 2022
