David Radebe says the kind of football Chiefs play these days is not the same as the style the team played under Middendorp during his first stint with the Soweto giants.
Middendorp's direct tactics have not sat well with many Amakhosi supporters this season, but they have certainly achieved results, and could still bring the Absa Premiership title.
"Chiefs have got their own style of play man, this one they are playing these days I'm not familiar with it.
"It's something that I usually see in the likes of SuperSport [United] and their Mame Niangs, and Swallows with Lungisani Ndlela... I'm not familiar with seeing Chiefs playing route-one football.
"He [Middendorp] never found big top-players at Chiefs then, I think that's why he never tried it. But now the team is on top so I can't say he is a bad coach or good coach.
"It will be much clearer at the end of the season if this thing will work for him. But you can see for yourself that when things are not really going well, he lacks plan B. If you close down his only plan then Chiefs is dead.
"Ted [Dumitru] left having won the league, so why should he [Middendorp] stay? Even if he wins it, if I were the chairman I would sit him down and tell him 'hey man you see this route one is not always working'."
Radebe was asked if as a club legend he is happy with the kind of football Chiefs are playing.
"No. Because it's like most of the games teams beat Chiefs when it comes to ball possession," he replies.
"In the past four seasons the Derby has all been about watching Pirates play and missing chance after chance, not Chiefs.
"Chiefs will only wait for your mistake and punish you in Derbies and then park a bus. Since the days of Steve Komphela they've been playing like that."