OPINION: Kaizer Chiefs remain stuck in the domestic mud
Amakhosi's fourth draw in five league games on Thursday has them going around in circles in the DStv Premiership.
Gavin Hunt is said to have received a large payout from Chiefs. Picture: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix.
Unbeaten records can sometimes tell lies. Kaizer Chiefs haven’t lost any of their last five DStv Premiership matches, but are there really signs of improvement from Gavin Hunt’s side?
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Thursday’s 1-1 draw with Baroka FC was another blow to Amakhosi’s top eight ambitions, as they scramble to get some solace from a woeful domestic campaign.
Against Maritzburg (1-1) and Stellenbosch (2-2) they trailed and found a way back. Against SuperSport (1-1) and Baroka they led and were pegged back. So there isn’t really a pattern here, but the result is the same.
Apart from a run of three straight league wins in January, indeed, Amakhosi have won only two other Premiership games. One came at the end of October, with an own goal from Gregory Damons helping them to a 1-0 win at Chippa United. The other, of course, was the recent Soweto derby against Orlando Pirates, where a resolute defensive display meant Samir Nurkovic’s goal was enough to finally get a win this season over the Buccaneers.
None of it is pretty, little of it is polished, and it is all a touch dispiriting from a side that on the home front should be doing better, even if they are serving a transfer ban under a new head coach.
The Champions League run has provided much-needed solace, with Hunt quick to highlight to difference between the continental competition and the PSL, indicating that the former actually suits his team better.
Then again, Mamelodi Sundowns seem to prove every week that it is possible to balance the two, and perform just as well domestically as you do in Africa. The bar has been set and Chiefs, frankly, are nowhere near it.
