Baxter 'serious' about finding a way to start Nkosingiphile Ngcobo for Kaizer Chiefs

Stuart Baxter says he definitely wants to find a way for Nkosingiphile Ngcobo to start games when Kaizer Chiefs return to play at full strength having recovered from the effects of their Covid-19 outbreak in December.

Chiefs make their return from the Christmas and Africa Cup of Nations break in their Nedbank Cup last-32 clash against TS Galaxy at FNB Stadium on February 12.

An Amakhosi threatening to pressurise DStv Premiership leaders Mamelodi Sundowns had the bottom taken out of their season when the club was hit with more than 50 cases of Covid-19 in December, as they failed to honour fixtures against Cape Town City and Golden Arrows.

Chiefs returned to play with mixed-strength combinations in late December and managed two wins and a defeat, with Ngcobo's goals and creativity a highlight.

The 22-year-old emerging fan favourite played 40 matches in 2020-21, featuring strongly in Chiefs’ run to the Caf Champions League final, and his absence under Baxter at the start of 2021-22 was a source of consternation among the club's supporters.

That Ngcobo finally got a run due to Covid-19-induced absences — including that of the head coach — saw a public perception aired that assistant coaches Arthur Zwane and Dillon Sheppard were behind the skilled player's reintroduction. Such a notion seems far-fetched as Baxter would have still been part of the tactical meetings deciding Amakhosi's line-ups.

But Ngcobo's performances once he did come back have given Baxter plenty to think about.

“He's definitely put his hand up,” the coach said.

“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, he takes he chance. 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.

“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; 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 '8' 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.”

Chiefs, who slipped to fourth and 16 points behind Sundowns in their Covid-19-affected December, return to Premiership action against Cape Town City at Cape Town Stadium on Tuesday February 15.