Johannesburg - It won’t be an ideal season, but finishing second in the Premiership and winning the Nedbank Cup crown would be considered a decent campaign for Kaizer Chiefs.
Tipped to reclaim their glory days – winning silverware, and playing scintillating football – Chiefs haven’t quite lived up expectations this season. An unpleasant return by the team.
The Arthur Zwane-coached squad, which was heavily backed by resources, has missed out on two trophies, the MTN8 and DStv Premiership title, to arch-rivals Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns respectively.
So they are eager to save their season by finishing second in the league – to qualify for the CAF Champions League – and ending their seven-trophy drought by winning the Nedbank Cup.
And while there’ve been flashes of improvement in their style of play, they haven’t been fully convincing, with costly mistakes at the back and bluntness up front having led to a bag of mixed performances.
But there’s no use crying over spilt milk. What’s done is done. Chiefs can still have a strong say in how they finish by winning the rest of their matches in all competitions.
These matches include the Nedbank Cup semi-final against Pirates, who are also competing with them for the second-place finish in the league alongside SuperSport United.
But with that Nedbank Cup fixture only scheduled for May 6 at FNB Stadium, Chiefs will turn their focus to the league this afternoon when they visit Sekhukhune United at Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane.
This is a fixture Chiefs will have to win at all costs to close the gap at the top, while they’ll want to avenge that 1-0 loss to Babina Noko in the reverse fixture at home.
Chiefs will wear the favourite’s cap going into this game as they are on a six-game unbeaten streak – with four wins and two draws – but they’ll know they shouldn’t underestimate their hosts.
Apart from springing that surprise win in the first leg, Brandon Truter’s men are high on confidence having also reached the Nedbank Cup semis – where they’ll face Stellenbosch – last weekend.
Moreover, they’ve got regulars that have donned the famous gold and black colours of Amakhosi in their midst: Daniel Cardoso, Siphosakhe Ntiya-Ntiya and Philani Zulu.
The trio – particularly Cardoso – will no doubt want to get a double over their former club, who’ve mostly used youngsters this season amid rebuilding the team.
Cardoso, moreover, has had a lot to say about his former club since his departure, including the philosophy of building the team, saying they also need experience to mould the youngsters.
That didn’t sit well with Chiefs’ sporting director Kaizer Motaung Junior, who insisted the veteran defender is running his big mouth after failing to win a single trophy during his stint with the club.
Amid those squabbles, though, most of the talking will have to be done on the pitch by both sides as they need all three points to ensure they have a strong say on their finish in the league.
For Chiefs, there’d be no better finish to the season than acquiring the second spot and winning the Ke Yona Cup. After all, rivals Sundowns and Pirates have already bagged a trophy each!
@Mihlalibaleka