Following the international break, Kaizer Chiefs will be looking to move up the table when they take on Maritzburg United at the Harry Gwala Stadium on Sunday.
For all Chiefs’ challenges in the last few seasons – the transfer ban, the chopping and changing of coaches, injuries and loss of form to key players, they have actually fared impressively well.
That’s taking into consideration that two seasons back – with roughly the same squad they have now, they were just a goal or two away from winning the league title, before losing out on the final day of the campaign to Sundowns, and then the following season, remarkably, they went all the way to the final of the Caf Champions League.
Their inconsistent form this season though does not hint at a team ready to challenge Sundowns’ domestic dominance.
But with a few tweaks, a few improvements, a bit of luck, and some unity and togetherness, Amakhosi are probably not that far off.
Too far back, already?
The problem for Chiefs is that their main rivals, Mamelodi Sundowns, are a well-oiled machine, a seemingly unstoppable one.
Already, Amakhosi find themselves a sizable 10 points behind Sundowns, the Pretoria side also having played a game fewer.
With the kind of winning mentality the Brazilians have fostered over the past five or so years, it’s highly unlikely for Chiefs to bridge that gap.
What they should be aiming for, is to try and close the gap and finish as close to Sundowns as possible. Perhaps if they can reduce the deficit to four or five points by the end of the season, come the 2022/23 campaign, the Tshwane side will be warier of Amakhosi breathing down their necks.
Error-prone Amakhosi
When everyone is fit and in decent form, Chiefs do actually have a pretty decent squad. But what’s been letting them down both this season and last, are unforced, individual errors, particularly in defence.
When the pressure is on, too often Amakhosi players have crumbled and a stronger mental fortitude is needed. Whether Baxter can coax that from the current bunch is the challenge. If not, he’ll need to go to market again.
Question marks remain over the defensive reliability, and also as to whether there is enough creativity in the middle of the park.
Chiefs Strike force set for a boost
Upfront, though, there is reason for optimism as Khama Billiat and Keagan Billiat have seemingly found their old Sundowns form. In addition to that, Bernard Parker has been amongst the goals again.
Also, Leonardo Castro is set to return soon from injury and will be eager to get the ‘CBD’ combination with Dolly and Billiat going again.
Then there’s also Lebogang Manyama who’s been working hard at training over the past couple of weeks and who has the potential to made
All things considered, including the nature of the opposition, Chiefs must surely be targeting a second-placed finish and qualification in next season’s Caf Champions League, while there is no reason they cannot challenge for cup glory domestically.
