DSTV Prem Weekend Review – Winners And Losers By OptaJabu

Every Monday, we comb through the numbers to bring out the biggest Winners and Losers of the PSL weekend. Golden Arrows lead the winner’s list this weekend, alongside Chippa Mpengesi (yes, you read that right). Swallows & Sekhukhune are part of the Losers.

Golden Arrows – Winner

The biggest winners this weekend (both literally and figuratively) are Lamontville Golden Arrows. They are winners in the figurative sense because if the league had started on 13 August, Arrows would be second on the table, behind only Mamelodi Sundowns. That’s how good their results have been since they started the season with back-to-back defeats in their two opening games. A defeat to the very same Sundowns (via a penalty and an own goal) is the only blip since then. They are winners in the literal sense because a 4-goal victory does not come along so often. Historically, only 3% of PSL matches (60 out of 2300+) have ended with any side winning by 4+ goals. But it’s particularly historic for Abafana beSthende.

4 – Golden Arrows’ 4-0 win over Swallows FC is only the third time they have won a league match by a margin of 4+ goals in their PSL top-flight history.

• 4-0 v Ajax (Nov 08)
• 6-0 v Platinum Stars (March 09)
• 4-0 v Swallows FC (Sep 2022).

Chippa Mpengesi – Winner

As recently as a fortnight ago, Chippa Mpengesi could not have seen the present outcomes so clearly. Or maybe he could? The negative reaction to Daine Klate’s job “rotation” comes both from a weariness of Chippa constantly changing managers and a fondness for a player as decorated (and loved ) as Klate. In hindsight, Mpengesi will point to the latest results and feel justified. Chippa United have now won back-to-back league games for the first time since the end of last of last season (April-May 2021). The international break may halt that momentum, but they have set themselves up for something noteworthy when club football returns.

2016 – The last time Chippa won 3 games in a  row was February 2016.

Mendieta – Winner

One of the standout players over the last two seasons, and you wonder how long it will take for ‘big’ teams to start making inquiries. No player has been involved in more goals for Stellenbosch this season than Junior Mendieta (3 goals, 3 assists).

Kaizer Chiefs’ Resilience – Winner

If the support of the fans is crucial to a team’s performance, then Kaizer Chiefs may be the perfect exhibition of that. The contrast is simply ridiculous. Away from home, Chiefs are hopeless. No team has conceded more away goals (8), and only one team has scored fewer away goals than Chiefs’ one. At home, they are exhibiting title winning form – only Sundowns (12) have won more away points than Chiefs (10). In fact, they’ve won as many home points in the last month and a half (10 in 4 home games) as they did in the first half of 2022 (10 in 8 home games).

Contrasts aside, Chiefs were trailing in this game quite early but somehow summoned the wherewithal to mount a rare fightback. This was the 25th time SuperSport scored 1st in this league fixture (PSL era). Their previous record from that position read Won 17 Drew 6 Lost 1. Even if results have not been forthcoming, Arthur Zwane can be happy that the resilience is.

4 – Chiefs have recovered 4 points when the opposition scores first this season, double their total from last season (2).

Sundowns And Late Goals- Winner

Another Sundowns game, another late goal. Where it is not for 90+ minute goals, Sundowns would be four points worse off and just one above Pirates in 2nd. The team is not quite there yet, but there may be something starting to click. If that is the case, we don’t need to water down the compliments.

3 – Sundowns have managed to win three consecutive league games for the first time this year.

Cape Town City- Winner

Through to the next CAF Champions league round at the first time of asking. Who needs a coach on the sidelines?

Swallows – Loser

This result itself was hardly a surprise, but the nature of the result may be a disaster. Rumours are already flying on what Swallows management’s reaction will be. One thing is clear, their chairman did not seem too pleased by his team’s performance, and he personally tweeted an apology.

Yet, the same management cannot say there were no warning signs.This was the fifth consecutive game where Swallows conceded the opening goal, and the fifth straight time they have done so in the first half of the game. At the end of last season, coach Dylan Kerr received massive praise for masterminding a relegation scrape. And that praise was earned. But a new approach is needed to motivate players towards earning points while the season is still early. Trailing in games is not sufficient reason to panic, but not reacting to a clear decline in results is also a risk on its own.

They’ll be happy to see the international break close off the football month.

0 – Swallows have never won a league game played in September since their 2020 promotion (P6 W0 D2 L4).

Sadly, they have one win in October too.

Sikhukhune’s Indiscipline – Loser

That’s three red cards this season, the most of all sides. Last season, they only had one red in the whole campaign.

Gavin Hunt – Loser

The veteran coach came into this on the back of a run of three consecutive wins. A win here would have put his team on four successive league wins for the first time since 2010/11. But it was not to be.

1 – Gavin Hunt has now won just one of the last 13 matches against clubs that he’s previously managed (P12 W1 D5 L7).