5 factors contributing to the rise of Amakhosi

With Kaizer Chiefs now seven points clear at the top, here is a list of five factors that have contributed to Chiefs topping the table with seven games to go.

1. Unbeaten at home

Amakhosi have simply been ruthless at home. They have not lost a single match at home. Added to that, their away record has improved compared to last season. Last season at this stage they only won 3 out of 12 matches away from home. This season they have already won 6 out of 11 away games including the 3-0 thrashing of Bloemfontein Celtic this past Sunday.

2. Taking the lead and keeping it

Chiefs have only won once from a losing position (against Free State Stars at home). When in the lead, the Glamour boys have only thrown away 4 point all season from a winning position. While this may point to a lack of fighting spirit for some, one thing it does confirm is that Chiefs know how to sniff and then grab hold of the three points, and then take the points safely home no matter what the opposition may do.

Let us also not forget that from a losing position they managed to take 2 points away from rivals Orlando Pirates while simultaneously gaining an important point in the first derby of the season. It is safe to say that Chiefs do indeed “have Balz”.

3. Change of tactics from Baxter

Many may think I will be highlighting the use of an adaptable 5-3-2 (3-5-2) formation from Baxter as a bit of tactical genius. However, the most important decision by Baxter was to simply change from what looked liked a 4-3-3 with the interchangeable three of Josta Dladla, Reneilwe “Yeye” Letsholonyane (in a deep midfield role), and Siyabonga Nkosi, to the more commonly used 4-3-3 (and other adaptations) that has Williard “Salt 'n Pepper” Katsande playing the role that Tinashe Nengomasha made his own as a “destroyer”, thereby allowing Yeye more freedom to attack. This has allowed soccer fans the opportunity to enjoy Yeye at his creative best - distributing balls all over the pitch to allow Bernard Parker and co an opportunity to knock the ball into the Auld Onion Bag.

In August, I wrote that Chiefs may rue letting Nengomasha go as I felt Katsande had not show enough consistency to fill his countryman's big shoes. I also felt that Lucky Baloyi was also not ready to play big role in a title-challenging team Fortunately for Amakhosi, “Salt 'n Pepper” Katsande showed massive improvement and his contribution has been immense ever since he became regular this season.

4. “Major” strikeforce

When you have the luxury of bringing on a Bafana Bafana striker on as an impact player, you have a quite an advantage over other teams.

With a strikeforce containing the likes of Bernard Parker, Kingston Nkhatha, and Lehlohonolo “Major” Majoro to choose from, Chiefs coach, Stuart Baxter, has been spoilt for choice as the three players have not only been consistent in their performance - contributing over 20 goals - but they have also avoided any serious injuries.

Contrast this to Pirates where Bafana legend Benni McCarthy has remained sidelined for most of the season, Takesure Chinyama has only scored twice in the league, Collins Mbesuma is a shadow of the player he was for Chiefs back in 2005, and Ndumiso Mabena... The mere mention of THAT miss in the Telkom Knockout Cup match against Celtic probably still gives coach Roger De Sa nightmares!

5. Injuries

Key players at Pirates including Rooi Mahamutsa, goalscoring centreback Siyabonga Sangweni, the experienced Benni McCarthy, Moneeb Josephs and Sifiso “Myessi” Myeni have all suffered bad injuries during the season which has contributed to the below-par performances.

As I mentioned earlier, Chiefs have had a strikeforce that, fortunately for them, avoided any serious injury problems. While in defence, their number one in between the poles, Itumeleng Khune, has remained injury-free while new signing Morgan Gould was the only senior player to get a long-term injury. Midfield kingpin, “Yeye” Letsholonyane, as a creative force, has played a big part in the title challenge while Pirates have lost their biggest creative force “Myessi” to injury at an important stage of the season.

So, while both teams have had their share of injury problems, Pirates were hit hardest with the loss of key men like McCarthy and Mahamusta for most of the season.

Conclusion

There are of course other factors that may have contributed to Chiefs currently topping the PSL table (and no, the use of brown envelopes is not what I was thinking).

However, with seven games of the season remaining, the title is not yet wrapped up and we may still witness some drama in the run-in.

Let's hope we will have a relatively tight finish(and maybe even see Pirates snatching it late) instead of a situation where Chiefs simply walk away with the title. That is, of course, unless some of you actually take the Q-Innovation table seriously.

Thomas Monyepao

Do follow me on twitter. The name is @Tom_18Yards.

We don't care about Jali. We care about Bafana.

Like the situation when a naughty child does not act in the expected manner and is then sent into the naughty corner, national team coach Gordon Igesund (otherwise known as GI) has sent Orlando Pirates midfield general, Andile Jali, into the Bafana Bafana wilderness.

 

The naughty child has been sent into a dark corner to think about his transgressions and his acts of disobedience. This has been quite a lengthy punishment. The child is not wailing for attention but the silence is deafening from both parent and child. Nobody seems to know how long this punishment will last. Some of the Pirates fans neighbours seem to feel the punishment is too harsh and suspicions of abuse are abound. The bystanders (Swallows fans, like myself) are merely concerned with a positive end to the story and the growth and development of the child. It appears that SAFA the social services department has been alerted to the situation but feel the parent is handling the situation well. The other obedient children of the Bafana family have – like obedient kids should behave – not voiced their concerns, maybe for fear of similar punishment. Even the prodigal son, Benni McCarthy, has kept his mouth quiet, appearing to have learnt from a previous experience with his broer Moneeb Josephs.

To bring things back to the football field, one thing that cannot be denied is the fact that Andile Jali is one of the best players in the Premier Soccer League. He has been an instrumental part of the treble-winning Pirates sides (as my fellow Bucs tweeps keep reminding us all) and still, potentially, has plenty of years available to play for the national squad and maybe abroad. How
ever, his arrogance and, ahem, “inappropriate” behaviour off the field seems to have soured the relationship with the current Bafana Bafana head coach resulting in the player still being overlooked for the forthcoming World Cup qualifier against Central African Republic.


Jali has been consistently overlooked by Igesund for Bafana matches, which most of the public see as a form of punishment for quotes such as the following quote found in an interview in the Soccerladuma newspaper in October 2012:


“I care about my team where i get paid every month. I work for my team and I don't work for the national team”

In this particular interview, the words “I don't care” are repeated a number of times. The interview painted a picture of an arrogant, stubborn man and could have – and probably was – viewed as disrespectful by Igesund and his assistants. To the average soccer fan, the interview painted a picture of a player who he would be doing the national or the national coach a favour by playing for Bafana - like it was a privilege to have Andile Jali in your team (well, at least that's how I took it).

The only person in SA football who knows the truth is Andile Jali. He has been punished, and punished for quite a long time. But I believe it is now time that our father who art in Nasrec forgive Andile, the same way that he was willing to forgive (and have coffee) with Steven. It is time for Ntate Igesund to reach out his hand, show the young boy the way forward, whisper sweet nothings while singing the comforting words that he is “once, twice, three times” a player (just to keep up with the treble theme), and move forward together as a Bafana family. We will need all hands on deck if we are to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. South Africa is already at “itchy bum” stage regarding the state of our qualification campaign.

Winning, in the end, is what the average supporter cares about. He/she does not care about punishments. He/she does not care about egos. And he/she does not care about how many kids of wedlock a particular player has. He cares about winning or about “reclaiming the glory” (hello there, Khosis). The same applies for SAFA.

Based on my knowledge of South African football, when results are not forthcoming, the coach will end up going especially when it involves the exclusion of certain fan-favourites. Whether it takes a formal apology from Jali, some initiative from Igesund, or a special intervention from SAFA (fixing relationships not fixing anything else), at this point, personally, “I don't care'. 

I care about the best local coach we have staying in job, using all the resources available and I care about seeing one of the best local talents progress and shine for Bafana.  That is what's good for Bafana.

We, the fans, don't care about the drama behind the scenes. We don't care about Jali. We simply care about Bafana Bafana.

Thomas Monyepao

Do follow me on twitter @Tom_18Yards

Report: Moroka Swallows 2 - Platinum Stars 0

A man with a lot on his mind, Zeca Marques.

Zeca Marques relieved some of the pressure on his shoulders as Moroka Swallows defeated Platinum with a 2-0 scoreline at the Dobsonville Stadium on Wednesday evening, 19 December 2012, at Volkswagen Dobsonville Stadium.

 

Goals by Bennett Chenene and Swallows’ top goal-scorer, Katlego Mashego, came at a crucial time for coach Zeca Marques whose side had not won in their eight previous matches.

Swallows now occupy 11^th spot and sit five points above last-placed AmaZulu. 

Q2 winners, Platinum Stars, meanwhile, currently occupy third place, four points behind leaders Kaizer Chiefs, and will enter 2013 still in contention for the title race.

The Birds sat back in the second half, depending largely on counter-attacks to provide a threat on their opponents goal.  The Dube Birds eventually held out for the result and provided a win that will leave their loyal supporters with something to smile about this Christmas.

Katlego Mashego seals he three points with a well-taken goal.

It only takes MTN8 games for the fans to want you gone!

Moroka Swallows have now gone eight competitive matches without a victory.  This poor run of results has put coach Zeca Marques, affectionately known as Majazana, under a lot of pressure.


I attended the last home game against Supersport United and witnessed first-hand how angry and frustrated the Swallows supporters, Maswaiswai were. Many of the Birds faithful want Marques gone.


However, I feel a bit of perspective is needed in this current situation the Birds are experiencing.


One question immediately springs to mind: at the beginning of the season what exactly were the expectations of fans and board alike?


The board did not explicitly state their objectives or Majazana's mandate. Was his mandate to win the league? Was it to repeat last season's performance? Or was the mandate to merely ensure a top 8 finish?


Some supporters expected Swallows to improve on last season (and go on win the league title).  Some supporters, like myself, knew very well that last season was a once-off: the boys played out of their socks and that performance would not be repeated without substantial investment.


Liverpool had a similar experience a few years ago.  In 2009, Liverpool finished as runners-up behind Manchester United, however, since the 2008/09 season, "Pool's league performance has declined drastically to the point where finishing eighth is now described by their current manager as a "fantastic" achievement.


Swallows, just like the legendary club from Merseyside, may be a big club in terms of history but, currently, they are not amongst the biggest in terms of money. Therefore it is no surprise to find three out of the four richest clubs occupying the top 3 places in the Premier Soccer League right now.


On paper, that's to be expected.


Personally, my expectations for Swallows this season were for the team to achieve a top-6 finish and I did not expect to have trophy in the cabinet at all, especially with Mamelodi Sundowns doing what they do best with the chequebook, and Kaizer Chiefs awakening to flex their financial muscle in the transfer market again.


Marques, delivered a trophy within a few months, something which Gordon Igesund was not able to achieve. By turning this Swallows team into MTN8 champions, Marques has already surpassed my expectations.


As an Arsenal supporter - you can trust me on this one - winning a trophy is a much better feeling than securing a respectable league finish.


As bad as we are playing right now, Marques' results, viewed objectively, show that he has been more successful than "GI" (one trophy versus Igesund's tally of zero trophies). I even wrote a blog titled "All hail Majazana" pointing out the reasons as to why Majazana deserves more credit for this achievement.


And yes, Gordon Igesund did indeed build this team up and transform them from being relegation candidates to title contenders within the space of a year. "GI" built the team up, improved their confidence and pretty much turned water into wine (if you listen to some his fans). But, the fact remains that he failed to win a trophy with the team during his stint as head coach. Zeca Marques made a few tweaks here and there (adding free agent Katlego “Mahoota” Mashego to the squad, for example) and took the team to a higher level.


Why is it that when a new coach comes after the previous coach and fails, we blame the new coach, but when the said new coach comes after a relatively successful stint by the previous coach, the credit goes to the previous coach for any success that the team gains?


Here’s one example: Jose Mourinho’s former clubs’ performances usually decline drastically following his departure, and the blame is always laid squarely on the shoulders of the new man.


Yet in Barcelona, new coach Tito Vilanova is not getting the credit he deserves for ensuring Barcelona enjoy one of their best ever La Liga starts to the season. This is due to the fact that some pundits see him as someone who is merely carrying on the good work of former coach, Pep Guardiola.


Marques will probably be fired before the end of year judging on recent statements by Leon Prins.


Yet another local coach will be fired (or allowed to resign depending on how you look at it) due to players performing below par for – using Leon Prins’ words - “no apparent good reason”.


But that is the way things work in the PSL, when it doubt, and when you see “no apparent god reason” for the decline in performance, what do you do? You fire the coach, of course!


Thomas Monyepao

Do follow me on twitter @Tom_18Yards. You can find more of my articles on the onetwo.co.za site.

Tough times for the 2012 MTN8 Champions

Whilst many South African football bloggers and journalists have their focus on analysing the problems plaguing a certain Chloorkop-based club, I would prefer to rather focus on the current state of affairs at Moroka Swallows.


The 2012 MTN8 champions are currently going through a poor run of form and will be thankful for this week’s FIFA international break.


The recent poor run includes two home draws a Telkom Knockout cup loss (albeit on penalties), and a disappointing away loss to Bidvest Wits. Their last win came over a month ago – a rather fortunate win against Steve Khompela’s Free State Stars team.


What exactly has contributed to this poor run of form?

Firstly, the loss of key men has contributed to their inconsistency. In the past two games, the Birds have been missing Luvhengo Mungomeni in the backline. The Birds already have a growing reputation for having a leaky defence, and the loss of the form Mamelodi Sundowns man was bound to make the team significantly weaker. In the two matches in which he has been missing, Swallows gained a solitary point from a possible six.


With Mungomeni missing in action, due to the lack of adequate defensive cover, Coach Zeca Marques decided to deploy the Venda boy with a melanin deficiency, Giorgi Nergadze, in Mungomeni’s usual role. Through no lack of effort, but operating with the turning speed of an oil tanker, Nergadze has not been anywhere near the rock solid partner that Marques, would have preferred to partner the robust Ashraf Hendricks.


Swallows are also still suffering from the loss last season’s top goal-scorer, the influential Siyabonga “Bhele” Nomvethe. Many will quickly point out that Katlego Mashego has stepped into Nomvethe’s boots without breaking a sweat, however – in playing the versatile Mashego upfront – Marques lost out on the opportunity of having an extra option on the left to compete with Bennett Chenene (whose performances have dropped severely in recent times) while also resulting in Swallows losing an experienced consistent goal-getter who would feast upon the chances that the team are currently wasting.


This brings me to the second reason for this poor run: wastefulness at the front and carelessness at the back.


The seemingly ageless Dikgang “Terminator” Mabalane, for example, missed two absolute sitters within the space of two weeks against both Leopards and Chippa United at a point in the game where Swallows could have sealed three points had those opportunities been taken.


These were games that the Birds completely dominated but somehow ended up settling for a total of only two point, leaving the man known as Majazana, Zeca Marques, feeling rather frustrated.


Greg Etafia’s penchant for leaving the post which he is meant to be guarding and his peculiar fondness to standing behind the wall during the opposing team’s free-kick, has recently left many of the Swallows faithful quite frustrated. A schoolboy error by Etafia directly contributed to Leopards’ second goal. This basic goalkeeping error cost the team a valuable two points in a game that Swallows deserved nothing less than the maximum. Against Sundowns in the MTN8 semifinal, a similar error did not prove to be as crucial but nonetheless exasperating.


In the recent draw with Chippa United, Etafia decided to leave his near post open like gates of heaven, thereby gifting the ambitious Chilli Boys, Chippa United, an equalizer from what seemed to be a near-impossible angle to score from.


Lastly, Zeca Marques also contributed his fair share to the recent loss of point. Against Bidvest Wits, Majazana replaced left-winger, Bennet Chenene, for the rather one-footed Felix Obada. With the right-footed Obada being played in an unfamiliar role on the left, the 23-year-old looked terribly uncomfortable, wasted a lot of possession, and provided hardly any decent service for Mashego to work with.


One can’t help but feel for Obada as the player literally ran his socks off, but Marques pretty much ended any hopes of snatching a result against Wits with that ill-advised change.


In the final part of the game against Chippa – attempting to shut the back door – Marques, took off Mpho Maleka for Sibusiso Khumalo, and moved Lerato Chabangu into the striker role. However, if Marques saw no problem in moving Chabangu further up later on in the game, then clearly Majazana is aware of the skills possessed by the man who has previously earned Bafana Bafana caps playing as a striker. In this game, Marques deviated from the norm, and played what looked more like a 4-1-4-1 formation. Had Marques stuck to the usual 4-2-3-1 formation instead, Swallows would only have required the use of one creative midfielder (in this case David Mathebula).


This system would have eliminated the need to play the ineffective Maleka upfront and Marques could have rather chosen either the experienced Macbeth Sibaya or Sibusiso Khumalo to help Lefa Tsutsulupa in the middle.


Swallows’ next game is against table-toppers, Kaizer Chiefs. Swallows will motivated by the fact that in this season’s previous Soweto Derby, the Dube Birds gave reigning PSL champions, Orlando Pirates, a 3-0 walloping.


However, should the Birds fail to get a positive result in this fixture, Swallows will probably drop out of the top half of the PSL log and the pressure will start mounting on Zeca Marques who – despite bringing silverware to the club – is yet to win over many of the Birds faithful.


Thomas Monyepao

Do follow me on twitter  and read as I vent my anger and take off my jacket like Majazana.

This post originally appeared on the onetwo.co.za site on the 14th of November 2012.

Reaction the Chiefs' last-gasp winner

“We showed today that we competed with them and we could have drawn the game but unfortunately it was stolen away from us.” – Zeca Marques

Last week, I highlighted the weaknesses that have contributed to Swallows poor form recently .

However, I was still hopeful that Swallows would be able to, ahem, reclaim the form that they showed in the early part of the 2012/13 season.

In front of a decent crowd at Soccer City, the Swallows team - largely made up of players who used to play for the crowd-pulling clubs in South Africa -  needed no extra motivation for the 90 minutes that were about to follow. But they did, however, need a bit more than just pure motivation to prevent walking away from Soccer City with anything less than a point. The seven minutes of additional time added by referee however, was where the Birds “lost the war” as Zeca Marques angrily stated in his post match reaction -

Here are four things that contributed to the loss last night:

1.       1. Key men missing
Again, as I highlighted in my piece last week, the loss of key men has contributed massively to Swallows being unable to sustain their early season form. Last night, Katlego “Mahoota” Mashego was almost as ineffective as Mpho Maleka was in the previous league match against Chippa United. But Marques, unlike Stuart Baxter, did not have the luxury of being able to replace one struggling striker with a quality striker from the bench. Felix Obada - who again worked his socks off yet - tried hard and almost snatched victory in the dying minutes. But with each passing game, the need for an urgent recovery from injury for  Siyabonga Nomvethe grows.

2.       2. The leftback position
 In my previous blog, I declined from commenting about Swallows’ weakness at leftback. Shere “Skhothane” Lekgothane who had been the weakest link in the Swallows defence in most game this season was not criticised. I refrained from commenting simply because  I had not managed to watch new signing, Lizo Mjempu in action. At times during that first half, Mjempu’s performance made “Skothane” Lekgothane look like he was the black Paolo Maldini. While former Swallows player, Keegan Ritchie, was not enjoying his best game in a Chiefs jersey, the Birds faithful would gladly welcome him back with open arms if he were ever to leave Kaizer Chiefs due to the urgent need of a decent leftback.

3.       3. Zeca “uMajazana” Marques
 From around the 70^th minute, it became clear that Marques was content with a draw as Swallows began sitting back and inviting wave upon wave of Chiefs attacks. On another day, Swallows may have walked away with draw, but then again, on another day (in the previous week) Swallows also failed to defend a one-goal lead against Chippa United when Marques decided to switch from a 4-1-4-1 formation to a 4-2-3-1 formation. Marques is a coach I respect, and thanks to him, Swallows are the only team with a trophy in the cabinet so far this season. However, I do sometimes wished h showed a bit more courage. A brace coach would have battled for  the full three points while also fully utilizing the services of Dikgang Mabalane. Mabalane had to battle for the ball in the air due to all the clearances that somehow came his way and feed off scraps.  Instead of having ball at his feet to display his talent, he was isolated due to the defensive approach of the team in the second half.

4.       4. Poor finishing
 Many will be happy to see Bennet  Chenene on the scoresheet again. However, Chenene wasted two one on one opportunities in the first half, one of which really should have been put away. Black Leopards, Chippa United and now Kaizer Chiefs have punished the Birds for such profligacy.

One wonders how Zeca Marques will change things around for the Birds. But this is where a great coach shows his true colours.

Good luck, Majazana.

Thomas Monyepao

Do follow me on twitter. You can read more of my blogs on onetwo.co.za