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Absa Premiership log leaders Kaizer Chiefs had better not lose ground in their bid for the league title as this month could see some key turning points in the race, writes Daniel Mothowagae.
Gordon Igesund, the PSL’s multiple title-winning coach, is one of those who strongly believe that Kaizer Chiefs could end their long wait for a league title.
Igesund reckons Amakhosi have “put themselves in a position to win the championship and are therefore expected to win the Absa Premiership”.
“This is really a crucial time. A seven-point lead is a handy margin to have going into the second round. And coach Ernst Middendorp knows [too] well that he can’t take his foot off the pedal,” said Igesund, the only man to have guided four top-flight teams to the Premiership crown.
The Durban-born coach achieved this feat with the now defunct Manning Rangers in the 1996/97 season, Orlando Pirates in 2001, Santos in 2002 and Mamelodi Sundowns in 2007.
“Ernst has done incredibly well to put Chiefs in a position to win the championship. Now Chiefs are expected to win the league [title] and now they are under pressure,” said Igesund.
However, with defending champions Sundowns and former winners Bidvest Wits among the chasing pack, Igesund warned that “it’s certainly by no means a foregone conclusion” that Chiefs will win the Premiership title.
“No one has given up [on the league title], that’s for sure. Sundowns have kept in touch – now the pressure is immense. Remember, seven points is only two wins and a draw,” he said in reference to Chiefs’ lead ahead of this weekend’s matches.
When it comes to crunching the numbers, Igesund knows what it takes to cross the finishing line.
He predicted that anything between 67 and 68 points would be enough to settle this season’s contest.
“Thirty points plus at the halfway mark is a good haul because accumulating 35 points in the second round should win you the league title.
“Ernst has shown that sometimes you play a certain way that is not pretty just to scrape through. Also, Chiefs fans have been magnificent. They just want the championship and they don’t care how they get it.”
Even Amakhosi’s owner, Kaizer Motaung, wrote in his column on the club’s website that, although it was still too early to say if Chiefs would win it, “it is commendable and worth celebrating to see the team on top of the Absa Premiership”.
“We will do our best to compete for silverware and put smiles on your faces [the club’s supporters] in our fifth decade of existence,” Motaung wrote.
The chairperson was referring to the club’s 50th anniversary this year.
The fixtures that could turn the Premiership race on its head
There are no two ways about it: All the 16 Premiership clubs will have to play each other again in this final round.
If Sundowns are to retain the title they won in dramatic fashion last season, they will also need help from other teams to rein in the runaway Amakhosi speed train.
Starting on Tuesday, coach Pitso Mosimane’s side have a chance to set the twists and turns in motion as early as this month.
Mamelodi Sundowns vs Bidvest Wits in Pretoria
The nine-time league champions host Wits at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Tuesday night in a game the Clever Boys will be eager to win as they play catch-up due to their participation in the CAF Confederation Cup.
Orlando Pirates vs Sundowns in Soweto
For the second season running, the two South African football titans will face off in a midweek fixture.
The game at Orlando Stadium on January 15 is reminiscent of last season’s meeting on a Monday – April Fools’ Day – when the goalless draw ensured Sundowns maintained the top spot, while Pirates moved to second.
SuperSport United vs Sundowns in Atteridgeville
SuperSport United have quitely gone about their business, but their grip on the third place on the log table has been hard to ignore.
The Tshwane derby on January 19 will most certainly be one of those important fixtures – both sides have everything to play for given their top rankings.
Golden Arrows vs Kaizer Chiefs in Durban
There is no doubt that Golden Arrows have been one of the surprise packages in the chasing pack, and coach Steve Komphela’s team know how to throw a spanner in the works.
Arrows will host Amakhosi at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium on January 25.
It is interesting that, since their 2-0 loss to Chiefs in October, Abafana Bes’thende collected 10 out of a possible 12 points before Black Leopards ended their four-match unbeaten run at the end of November.
As much as Amakhosi have been the most consistent side, Middendorp’s men can learn from Wits, who, when they appeared to be running away with the title, cracked under pressure in an implosion that threw last season’s title race wide open.
Pirates also looked like they were in with a chance, but the Buccaneers choked and Sundowns completed a remarkable late surge to claim the first prize. This despite Mosimane’s team juggling the CAF Champions League and domestic assignments.
The Brazilians find themselves in the same situation again this season.
They have made it to the group stage of the premier continental club competition.
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