A sleeping giant beginning to stir
So there you have it. Kaizer Chiefs are well and truly in this Absa Premiership title race, and there can be no doubt about it after they humbled Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld on Sunday.
Ernst Middendorp, coach of Kaizer Chiefs during the Absa Premiership 2019/20 match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs at Loftus Versfeld. (Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix)
Chiefs have been so fragile in recent seasons that their ascent to the summit in the 2019/20 season has been understandably met with some sceptical glances, as if a collapse is inevitable, a moment at which Ernst Middendorp’s team fall back into the kind of mediocrity that saw them finish ninth just a few months ago, and lose to TS Galaxy in the Nedbank Cup final.
But Sunday’s victory reinforced what has become increasingly apparent in the new campaign. Middendorp’s Kaizer Chiefs Mark II, if you like, have the stomach for a fight and it is going to take an almighty effort to wrestle them off top spot.
Chiefs grabbed exactly what they needed at Loftus in the form of an early goal and there was certainly some irony in the fact that there was a suspicion of offside as Samir Nurkovic slotted home, given Pitso Mosimane’s constant jibes against Chiefs over the subject of refereeing decisions going their way in the build-up to the match.
The simple fact is that several replays left it hard to prove whether Leonard Castro had got a touch before the ball fell at Nurkovic’s feet, so how the linesman was supposed to see for certain in real time is anyone’s guess. That didn’t stop Mosimane from having another rant at the end, but it will seem like sour grapes as long as his side are unable to knock Middendorp’s men off their perch.
Sundowns certainly had their chances to draw level, with Andile Jali and Mauricio Affonso both guilty, and Njabulo Blom produced a miraculous clearance from the toe of Affonso, before Nurkovic doubled Chiefs’ lead, albeit that Chiefs forward Khama Billiat appeared to commit a wily piece of obstruction as Nurkovic struck.
For Sundowns, there is no need to panic, after all, win their game in hand and they remain two points behind. Mosimane’s men certainly know how to win league titles, and there is a long way to go, with Bidvest Wits also well in the hunt. Excuse that pun on their head coach’s name, but if Gavin Hunt’s side can win their three games in hand on Chiefs, it is they who will be top of the table.
Chiefs, however, have an advantage on both Wits and Sundowns, in that they are not competing in Caf competition this year or next. Wits look like they may well play in the Caf Confederation Cup group stages, while Sundowns are already in the Caf Champions League group stages. With a free run at domestic honours Chiefs will not have nearly the same pressures on a squad that has already shown to be well and truly capable of racking up league wins, even when at times they have not played particularly well.
Middendorp also played the perfect hand after the win over Sundowns, showering Mosimane in praise, and not taking the bait anymore in terms of the Sundowns coach’s constant attempts to get under his skin.
The German has had mixed success in his time in South Africa, but seems to have moulded a Chiefs team that defends with impressive organisation, and that has enough in attack to trouble any opponent.
Billiat could be a key to Chiefs too, with the Naturena side having kept him despite interest from Sundowns, and with Billiat himself now appearing fully committed to the Chiefs cause.
The signs are bright for Amakhosi, and now two Soweto derbies against a beleaguered Orlando Pirates loom on the horizon.
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