Drama. That’s the one word I use to describe this weekend’s installment of the PSL title race. Actually, now that I think about it, the word should be ‘comedy’ because as a neutral I was laughing at the unfortunate circumstances Chiefs and Sundowns both found themselves in.😆😆
Log leaders Kaizer Chiefs lost 1-0 via a 94th-minute Bidvest Wits goal. Sundowns wasted a chance to leapfrog Amakhosi for the first time this season when they too lost 0-1 to a relegation threaten Baroka FC a few hours later.
It seems as though both teams are choking when the pressure is at its highest. The dip in form for Kaizer Chiefs doesn’t come as a surprise to me. No, I am not psychic. Chiefs are not much of an offensive threat and their defence has holes in it. Sundowns, on the other hand, are more of an interesting story. They are the reigning champions. They have been here before. Their last two championship-winning seasons went down to the wire. That team managed to win important games at the business end of the season. This team is floundering against the likes of Baroka (no offence).
We will never know what is going on behind the scenes but there is clearly something wrong with Sundowns. Chiefs faults may be bigger so Sundowns may win the championship by default.
By @chizfootball (the greatest footy journo on the internet)
Bongani ‘Da Bongz’ Nkosi and Thabang ‘Cheez’ Kgeledi discuss this week’s soccer topics.
The Discussion This Week:
1. What Are The Implications Of The Sundowns/Chiefs Game? 2. Which Team Has the Edge Going Into The Last Three Game? Sundowns or Chiefs? 3. Summarise Orlando Pirates Season? 4. What Will A Move Away From Barcelona Mean For Messi and Barca? 5. Where Will Lionel Messi Best Fit? PSG or Manchester City? 6. How Long Till Frank Lampard Feels The Pressure At Chelsea? 7. Quick Hits!
Last night Mamelodi Sundowns beat Kaizer Chiefs to go level on points with Amakhosi on top the PSL log. As interesting as the result may be the intriguing part of it is how they did it.
Well, maybe I shouldn’t use the word ‘intriguing’ because scoring one goal and then defending it for the rest of the game isn’t ‘intriguing’ at all. It’s actually quite negative and boring. But what made it fascinating was who was doing it.
Mamelodi Sundowns came into yesterday’s game knowing that anything less than a win would surely mean the end of their title hopes. Pitso Mosimane tried convincing us in his pre-match interview that the game ‘isn’t a title decider‘. We didn’t fall for his lousy acting and figured Sundowns would come out guns blazing.
Surprisingly, they didn’t. In the first half, Downs only used four players (Sirino, Zwane, Meza, and Mkhulise) in attack whilst the rest of the team stayed behind the ball. It seemed as though Pitso may have been playing not lose the game rather than to win it.
In the 34th minute, Gaston Sirino caught the Chiefs defense napping when he ran onto the end of Zwane’s clever flick to score. This is when Pitso called for the team’s bus driver to park the team bus in front of their goal for the remainder of the match. Chiefs huffed and puffed but they could blow the Sundowns mansion down.
Parking the bus is not a new thing in football. I hate it, but teams have to do what they have to do. I, however, didn’t expect it from a team with the most talented squad in the league who also happen to the defending champions. This is the most negative I’ve seen Sundowns play and was disappointed.
Kaizer Chiefs are still top of the log on goal difference but have the tougher last three-game. Last night’s match sealed the fate of the championship. Sundowns will be crowned champions.
By @chizfootball (the greatest footy journo on the internet)
Tonight log leaders Kaizer Chiefs face second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns in an Absa Premiership title decider. Kaizer Chiefs are at the top of the PSL table with 53 points, Mamelodi Sundowns are behind them by 3 points.
Like I said yesterday, I believe if Sundowns win this game, they win the title. If Kaizer Chiefs win this game, they win the title. If this game ends in a draw, Kaizer Chiefs win the title.
Let me start off by stating the obvious, Mamelodi Sundowns need the 3 points more than Kaizer Chiefs do. This should worry Pitso Mosimane because his team has been trash post-lockdown. They recorded one loss, three draws, and only one win. That’s 6 out of a possible 15 points.
BUT! Sundowns go into this title decider after a morale-boosting win against a negative Golden Arrows team on Monday. Sundowns haven’t clicked in attack as of yet but the team has started playing better in the past couple of games.
Kaizer Chiefs have had an equally disappointing post lockdown run, picking up 5 from a possible 12. In all fairness, Ernst Middendorp’s team had been below standard even before the Coronavirus. It seems as though teams have figured out their one-dimensional play of crosses and set pieces.
Speaking of set pieces, tonight they will be without Samir Nurković and Leonardo Castro. The loss of their aerial threat from set-plays is a huge loss for Kaizer Chiefs.
Sundowns have struggled to breakdown teams with well-structured defences. They have even struggled even more to stop teams from catching them on the counter-attack. Will Ernst Middendorp is brave enough to replace his two good but slow strikers with an average but pacier attack. Kambole, Billiat, and Zuma might do the trick. Scrapping the 3-5-2 for a 4-3-3, and playing on the counter-attack.
With all that being said, you’d have to say Mamelodi Sundowns has the edge going into the game. Kaizer Chiefs confidence is low and their defence leaks goals for fun. They have conceded 7 goals in their 4 bubble games. Chiefs have scored 6 on the other end but four of them have been from through set-pieces and they are without two of their best headers of the ball. I don’t see how Chiefs will score and how they will keep out one of the best attacks in the league.
By @chizfootball (the greatest footy journo on the internet)
Let’s begin by getting the ‘facts’ out of the way. If Sundowns win this game, they win the title. If Kaizer Chiefs win this game, they win the title. If this game ends in a draw, Kaizer Chiefs win the title. As you can see Mamelodi Sundowns need to win this game more than Kaizer Chiefs does.
You: “…but after the game, there will still be three games left to play so…’🤷🏿♂️
Yes, I know but the result of this game will do one of two things: crush Kaizer Chiefs’ flakey moral or deal a death blow to Mamelodi Sundowns’ confidence. I don’t see any team recovering from an unfavourable result plus I’m a psychic.
As the title says this is a cup final. Do or die. Wafa-wafa. Sure, Kaizer Chiefs have the advantage because they don’t need to win BUT, they’d be foolish to go in this looking for a draw. Mamelodi Sundowns got lucky on Monday with their last gasp win against Golden Arrows. Their confidence will be reaching its peak.
Kaizer Chiefs as currently constructed cannot match Sundowns pound for pound. They’d get knocked out before the first water break. It’s not that Chiefs don’t have good players, it’s just that they have not being utilized correctly (that’s another story for another writer).
The suspension of their leading goal scorer Samir Nurković and striker Leonardo Castro’s injury concerns are big blows. However, Sundowns aren’t great at defending quick counter-attacks. Ernst Middendorp may choose to replace the unavailable strikers with forwards that have pace.
We’ll chat more about which team has the upper hand going into the huge clash tomorrow.
By @chizfootball (the greatest footy journo on the internet)
Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates played to a goalless draw in the return of PSL last night. The result puts Kaizer Chiefs firmly in the pole position to win the title but, will they be to capitalize?
The game was boring. It had little goal-mouth action but big implications in the PSL championship race. Mamelodi Sundowns went into the game four points behind Kaizer Chiefs with a game in hand. They are now three points adrift the log leaders with the same amount of matches played.
When Pitso Mosimane said it’s Kaizer Chiefs’ title to lose last week, he was trolling. As of today, the statement is 100% accurate. Even though this isn’t a result he would have wanted, Pitso Mosimane is a glass half full type of guy,“Ja, a game of two halves for us, we were much better in the first-half, second-half we have to give it to Orlando Pirates, let’s be honest and they missed two chances to be honest. Okay, we had one [chance] but not really convincing,”Mosimane told SuperSport TV.
“The second-half they took it, you could see they were much stronger, much fresher than us in the second-half. We survived a bit, Mosa [Lebusa] calf [injury], you know. But it’s okay, it’s a good point, we’ll take a point. We’re playing Orlando Pirates remember?”
Kaizer Chiefs come up against Bidvest Wits tonight. Wits are coming off a loss against Sundowns over the weekend in the Nedbank Cup semi-final. Gavin Hunt and his men who are now mostly playing for pride, won’t be a pushover.
I can never predict how a team is going to play after a five months lay-off but if Chiefs play anything like they did before the lockdown, then they are toast. Amakhosi, however, have the advantage of not having played a game last weekend and have a three-point buffer. It’s Kaizer Chiefs title to lose.
By @cheezfootball (the greatest footy journo on the internet)
Remember the PSL? Well, it’s back. I answer 6 questions about the restart, including who has the most pressure to win the PSL championship and many more.
1. Who is the team with momentum?
Mamelodi Sundowns.
It’s difficult to talk about momentum because no team has played a competitive football match for four and a half months. Going into the lockdown Sundowns had won four of their five league games.
2. Which team has benefited from the break?
Kaizer Chiefs.
Amakhosi went it to the lockdown on a run of two wins, two losses, and one draw in their last five PSL games – that isn’t championship-winning form.
Four and a half months is a long time. This feels like a new season. The time will surely rejuvenate Ernst Middendorp’s team to refocus.
3. Who will Kaizer Chiefs replace Maluleka with?
Kearyn Baccus is a decent player. He is actually pretty good but injuries kept him out for much of the season. Baccus might not have Maluleka’s passing range but he makes up for it with his other attributes.
Word on the internet streets is Kaizer Chiefs are considering sacking coach Ernst Middendorp at the end of the season. Bobby Motaung was quick to dispel rumours about his team bringing the hammer down on Middendorp:
“Unfortunately we’ve not even had that discussion as a club,” Motaung told TimesLIVE.
“So, it’s a rumour that you find and talk which is out there‚ which we don’t know of.
“So, at this moment, I don’t want to entertain the coach’s issues because there is nothing – we have never had a discussion. We have not sat down and discussed his future.”
“The coach has a contract. He still has one more season to go and we have not even sat down to said, ‘the coach must leave’ or anything [like that],” Motaung continued.
“And we don’t know anything. These are just rumour and rumours. We don’t know anything. We have not had those discussions.”
Middendorp’s contract with Kaizer Chiefs will come to an end in June 2021. One thing I’ve learnt in football is where there is smoke, you need to memorise the numbers of your local fire station. 🧑🏿🚒
As I’ve said previously, as of right now, Middendorp is my coach of the season. His Kaizer Chiefs team has shown character doing what they have to do to win games. Their attack and defence is well structured. Everybody knows how they are going to play but not many teams have found a way to stop them.
BUT! ✋🏾
The season isn’t over yet.
And as you know, It’s not over till the overweight woman sings. Kaizer Chiefs are on top of the Premiership right now but only by four points. It can turn into one if Sundowns win their game in hand. Their run going into lockdown was poor, they lost a key member of their squad in George Maluleka, and they will be playing the remainder of their games this season without their 12th man (not the referee, I’m talking about their supporters).
Are Bobby Motaung and Kaizer Chiefs well within their rights to wield the axe should Middendorp not win the league? Especially after leading the pack for most of the season? 🤷🏿♂️
If the PSL would have declared an end to the season after the lockdown, these are the players who would have snapped up the Absa Premiership awards:
Absa Premiership Goalkeeper of the Season:
Ronwen Williams (SuperSport United) – Williams was has been the most consistent keeper in the league again this season. He has bailed his ageing defence out on may occasions. 👴🏿
Absa Premiership Defender of the Season:
Eric Mathoho (Kaizer Chiefs) – I thought Eric Mathoho was finished. 💀
For the past couple of years, Mathoho missed games due to injuries and dip in form. Mulomowandau used to dominate opposition players on the ground and in the air. But, not anymore.
This season, however, he is back to his old self. Mathoho is a very important player in Ernst Middendorps log leading team. His defending has been sublime, when not in the team his absence has been felt, and he has even pitched in with a couple of important goals.
Absa Premiership Young Player of the Season:
Sipho Mbule (SuperSport United) – Sipho Mbule has had a breakout season. Mbule is a highly skilled midfielder. He has an excellent range of passing, a very good setpiece taker, and has a sprinkle of flair to his game.
Teboho Mokoena (SuperSport United) – At only 23, Mokoena has a bright future. Being one of the best players at a position that takes years to master is a testament to his talent. Mokoena is technically sound and his work rate both in attack and defence is excellent. Let’s hope he gets a move abroad sooner rather than later. ✈️
Absa Premiership Goal of the Season:
Cole Alexander (Bidvest Wits)
Enough said.
Absa Premiership Top Goal Scorer:
Gabadinho Mhango (Orlando Pirates) – Mhango moved from to Pirates from Bidvest WIts this season. It didn’t seem as though he was Gavin Hunt’s cup of tea beside the obvious talent. ☕
Mhango had to fight his place in the first Pirates team. Mhango now could be the Buccaneers most important player due to the goals he scores. ☠️
Absa Premiership Coach of the Season:
Ernst Middendorp (Kaizer Chiefs) – Don’t lie Kaizer Chiefs supporters, don’t act like you were all juiced up when you heard Chiefs brought Middendorp back to be your coach.
Mazinyo did okay in his stint from 2005-2007 but some fans still blame him for the departure of Scara Ngobese from Chiefs. That’s another story for another day. 📅
Like him or not you’d have to admit, Middendorp has improved as a coach. He doesn’t have the most talented team but it functions well as a unit.
Absa Premiership Player’s Player of the Year:
I do not know who the players would have voted for as their player of the season. 🤷🏿♂️
But, most of the time it ends up being the same player as the:
Absa Premiership Footballer of the Season:
Lebogang Manyama (Kaizer Chiefs) – Manyama another player who resurrected his career this season. He has on occasion single-handedly won a game for Chiefs. He is intelligent, skilful, can pick a through ball and scores occasionally.
Ernst Middendorp has given him the keys to the Chiefs offensive and he has single-handedly driven it to the top of the standings. He is the footballer of the season. 🗝️