28 October 2019, by: Thabang Kgeledi

PSL Talking Points – Matchday 9

Kaizer Chiefs extended their lead at the top of the PSL table after a massive 2-0 win over champions Mamelodi Sundowns.

Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp also won the battle against his opposite number Pitso Mosimane where a war of words headlined the build up to the match.

Besides the race at the top the table, Orlando Pirates have continued their poor start to the season after another loss, this time to new boys Stellenbosch FC.

Let’s get into the weekends biggest PSL talking points.

Another week goes by and another impressive performance by Kaizer Chiefs. Amakhosi came away 2-0 winners against Mamelodi Sundowns at the Loftus Versveld Stadium on Sunday afternoon. It’s been a long four-year trophy drought for Kaizer Chiefs supporters, this may be the year their team wins some silverware.

Chiefs top the league with 22 points, five points ahead of second-place Sundowns. Their defence is solid having only conceded five goals and their attack is lethal having found the net a league-best 14 times. So far so great for Ernst Middendorp and his charges.

Okay, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, it’s still early, they have only played nine games. With 21 fixtures left, there is a lot that could happen. If, however, Kaizer Chiefs avoid injuries to key players and continue scoring freely and defending well, they are going be a hard team to beat.

I usually don’t bother watching post-game interviews because I know what each coach is going to say every time. The loser either says “We didn’t deserve to lose the game…” or ‘My team didn’t show up today…” The winner either says “Great performance from my team…” or “We got lucky, but we will take the points…”

Trying to predict what Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane is going to say is like predicting the weather in Cape Town or a Donald Trump tweet. Kaizer Chiefs scored a contentious first goal in what looked like an offside. When the Supersport presenter interview insinuated that the goal might not have been offside his reply was:
“…do we want to justify how many times Kaizer Chiefs win because of referee’s mistakes?”

When she asked him if he could give the benefit of the doubt to the assistant referee, who sees the game in real-time with no replay, he responded:

“I’ll give the benefit of the doubt if we play against Amazulu, Golden Arrows or anybody, against Kaizer Chiefs I give no space, there is no benefit of the doubt with Kaizer Chiefs because they benefited a lot.”

Pitso dislikes Kaizer Chiefs, it’s been that way since his days as Supersport United coach. His disdain for them has been under wraps because they haven’t been good in the past four years, now that they are winning games his dislike for them is unravelling.

A war of words between the two coaches broke out in the week before the game and they seemed to have some not so nice words for each other at half time. It seems as though they are the two teams who will be slugging it out for the championship this season. Kaizer Chiefs and Sundowns are two of the biggest clubs in the country. Their rivalry is Ernst vs. Pitso, Pretoria vs Johannesburg, organic riches vs. cash injection from a billionaire.

Orlando Pirates sank 1-0 to newly-promoted Stellenbosch FC on Saturday evening. This result has taken Rhulani Mokwena’s record to two wins, four draws, three losses and half a million pissed off Orlando Pirates supporters in his nine games as the head coach.

Orlando Pirates dominated the game and, to be fair, deserved to score at least one goal. Poor finishing and a lack of organization once they went a goal down cost them the match.

Orlando Pirates chairman Dr Irvin Khoza is an even-tempered man. But there will come a time where his patience will wear thin. Orlando Pirates are languishing in 10th on the PSL table, only five points above the relegation zone. Rhulani will be given one more game to prove his worth. Should he not get a favourable result he is toast.

Owen Da Gama’s men have played well this season. They jump up to the fourth position after their 2-0 win over Chippa United. Yes, this is a game they should be winning. Chippa United are a horrible team that will probably get relegated but you only win against the opponents that are put in front of you.

Their previous performances against ‘top teams’ prove they are good enough to compete even though they have a fraction of their budget. Owen De Gama has a proven track record in the league and he also has a squad to back him up.

Supersport United dropped two points against Black Leopards in what was a good game of football but a disappointing result for Matsatsantsa.

The Supersport United story this season has been a good one. It starts with the management putting their faith in young coach Kaitano Tembo, to the resurgence of Thamsaqa Gabuza, to the goals scoring exploits of Bradley Grobler and to the MTN 8 triumph.

However, Supersport United have a problem with consistency. They won one, drew one and lost another of their last three PSL games. It could be that Supersport is a team built for cup competitions. Maybe this who they are. A midtable cup winning side.

They’ve already won the MTN 8 this season and are in the quarter-finals of the Telkom Knockout. Their experienced players may not have enough gas in the tank to play well for 30 games.

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