THREE things Johnson has to address immediately at Chiefs

Having already crashed out of two competitions this season and in the aftermath of the changes that have taken place at Kaizer Chiefs, new interim head coach Cavin Johnson will have to immediately address at least three areas to salvage the campaign.

The goalkeeping department 

Statistically, Brandon Petersen stands head and shoulders above his competitors for a place between the sticks when compared with Itumeleng Khune and Bruce Bvuma.

'Beezer' has kept four clean sheets from his ten appearances this season and has played in all four of Chiefs' wins so far this season.

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However, as pointed out by Bafana head coach Hugo Broos, Petersen has had an unfortunate run of individual errors that have proven costly.

"He (Petersen) is not bad but he has his weak moments sometimes in the game and for the keeper, this is very dangerous to have those weak moments," Broos said in August, on his decision not to select the shot-stopper for Bafana duty.

Second in line is Khune, who has made three appearances that have all ended in defeat for Amakhosi. The 36-year-old is on his final contract as a player at Chiefs, with the club having already earmarked him for a role in the technical team.

Khune's ambition, however, is to deliver at least one more trophy before hanging up his gloves.

"I'm continuing to show the same the same hunger because before I retire I want to go and present a trophy to the chairman and the board and I want to lift smiles on the faces of the Kaizer Chiefs faithful," Khune said in October.

Another option for Johnson is Bruce Bvuma, who is set to make an appearance this season.

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Rising 'frustrations' within the squad's youngsters

Chiefs' proud tradition of promoting young talent seemingly came to a halt this season. Not a single player from the side's Reserve team has tasted top-flight action, although some may argue that it's still early days in the season.

Nevertheless, the likes of Mduduzi Shabalala, Samkelo Zwane and Wandile Duba have featured far less than they would have hoped after making their debuts last season and insiders speak of a growing unease among some of the squad's younger players.

"Well, you have to look at it logically, many of them haven't really been given a chance to play this season and like any players they (young players) are desperate to get some game time, so there has been that frustration," an insider tells KickOff.

"It's worse for those who actually played last season because it looks like they've regressed."

Among the youngsters, Shabalala has enjoyed the most playing time, making seven appearances, however, the 19-year-old started just one of those matches and has not completed a single 90 minutes this season.

Samkelo Zwane has three appearances this season and while Wandile Duba, Aiden McCarthy and Donay Jansen have all trained with the senior team all are yet to feature in a competitive match.

It remains to be seen if Johnson's arrival proves to be lifeline for the club's frustrated younger players, or the final nail on the coffin.

The goal-scoring crisis

Chiefs have scored three goals in their last five matches across all competitions and eight league goals this season – the joint second-lowest return by a team in the DStv Premiership's top eight.

Ashley du Preez and Pule Mmodi have enjoyed most success upfront, scoring six goals and providing three assists between them. New signings Ranga Chivaviro and Jasond Gonzalez are yet to find the back of the net.

This is another department Johnson will have to immediately get a grip on if Chiefs can turn their fortunes around.

The former Platinum Stars  and Pitso Mosimane's assistant coach at Al Ahly will have his first chance at the helm when Chiefs take on Lamontville Golden Arrows at Mpumalanga Stadium on Saturday.

Kick-off is at 15:30.

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