Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter has explained why he currently plays Njabulo Ngcobo, last campaign’s Defender of the Season, in midfield.
The Englishman has seen his team win two games in a row to climb into sixth place on the log.
Ngcobo has played in some sort of dual role behind Amakhosi’s two central midfielders, which allows him to move up the pitch in attack and switch in between the centre-backs in defence.
His coach has now explained that he feels Ngcobo is best-suited for that particular role but could very well be used as full central defender again in future.
“At this moment, he’s best suited in midfield for us,” he told Andile Ncube on Radio2000.
“That doesn’t mean that he won’t play centre-back. I see him as more useful for us in that position.
“He played as centre-back and we lost the game and after that I played him in midfield and I felt he looked like he was more settled and I want to give him a chance to show me that he either is or isn’t going to be a useful acquisition as that midfield player.
“Does that mean, I won’t use him in the future as centre-back? Not at all!”
Baxter also explained why Ngcobo initially didn’t play in the beginning of the campaign.
“As every new player that comes into a new club will know, it takes you at least 10 games for you to understand your teammates,” he added.
“With a new coach coming in at the same time, that you’ve never worked with before and you’ve got to understand what play he wants to play, what is his vision for me.
“So when people say, he didn’t play in the first game that you came in, well that’s not really strange is it because I’d never seen him play and he’d never heard my voice. That will take time.
“I’m ok with where he is at the moment, I’m ok with the way he’s working in training, I’m ok with his attitude, I’m ok with the rate that we’re getting on with each other.
“I think that’s important. If I was dissatisfied, he wouldn’t be playing.”
Chiefs next DStv Premiership game is against in-form Stellenbosch FC, who are still unbeaten and sit in second place on the log.
