As Kaizer Chiefs' woes continued in the Betway Premiership, former midfielder Josta Dladla has hinted what could have been the major issue.
Chiefs entered the 2024/25 season with high expectations after they brought on board Nasreddine Nabi following a number of coaching experiments that went wrong.
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However, Amakhosi, even under Nabi, flattered to deceive and find themselves out of the top eight before going into their 26th game of the league season, the Soweto derby against Orlando Pirates.
Even though it has been suggested before by legends and pundits, that the Glamour Boys lacked quality players, especially before they reinforced somewhat in the January transfer window.
Chiefs, however, letting go of experienced players in the name of 'rebuilding' could have been why they have continued to struggle, as Dladla stressed the importance of senior players especially when a team has a lot of youngsters.
"You cannot build the house without a proper foundation. The young ones need leaders, because (as a youngster at Bidvest Wits) I knew the game but I didn't know it to that extent, I needed guidance, I was a diamond but a rough one, I needed someone to polish me," Dladla said on The George Mokoena podcast.
"But it depends, there are older guys that are not good. There are older guys that are intimidated when they see the young ones come up, there are ones that are evil, true story, because they want only themselves at the top.
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"There are ones who are good and understand 'I've had my time, Josta is coming, let me help him'. In countries like Europe, they understand that continuation, to help the young ones to grow. In South Africa we still have a long way to go but it is important to have the leaders, guys who have been there, because they understand the culture," the former Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder added.
Ahead of another recruitment period in the off-season, Chiefs would still be in need of experienced players, as their squad, with a huge number of their players lacking PSL experience.
