'Akumu was fantastic' - Hunt snubs Nurkovic as Kaizer Chiefs' best player after TTM win

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Gavin Hunt lauded Anthony Akumu as Amakhosi's best player following their clash with Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila on Tuesday evening. 

Nkosingiphile Ngcobo, Lebogang Manyama and Happy Mashiane all scored for Amakhosi as they thrashed Vhadau Vha Damani 3-0 in a PSL match at FNB Stadium. 

Samir Nurkovic, who grabbed an assist when he set-up Ngcobo, was named Man of the Match, but Hunt believes makeshift defender Anthony Akumu, the Kenyan international, was their top performer. 

"I've also got to adapt to them. But we've got a good bunch. The mentality is getting better. The mentality was fantastic last year and we need to try and get that back," Hunt told SuperSport TV.

"I think collectively defensively we weren't as good as we could have been. I thought Akumu again was fantastic. Certainly, for me, he was our best player today. 

"I don't want to play Daniel [Cardoso] in that position [centre-back], I don't want to play him there. I think he's better suited to playing a little bit higher up the pitch."

The veteran tactician felt that the Glamour Boys' performance was a bit lethargic at times despite his side having dominated the match from start to finish. 

"Bit of a leggy performance. A little bit lethargic at times. It's understandable for the programme that we've had. So yeah, the most important thing is trying to get three points," he continued. 

"Trying to get ourselves up the league. But certainly a real slackness sometimes. That's something I need to work on. All in all, we're happy with the week that we've had.

"We've been forced to make changes with [Dumisani] Zuma. There's too much of giving up. We need to change the mentality. It's going to take time but we need to change the mentality."

Hunt was impressed with Mashiane's impact as the 23-year-old winger grabbed a goal and assist after coming on as a substitute. 

"The players are too easy sometimes. But I knew we needed to play with more width. And once I brought Happy in, he would give us a nice width. He's got huge ability and a good future ahead of him," he added. 

"Sometimes we're trying to score with every pass. We're trying to go forward at every moment. We need to get a little bit of balance first. But those things take time. It doesn't happen overnight."

Chiefs will be hoping to maintain their current form when they take on Stellenbosch FC at Danie Craven Stadium on Saturday.