By The Numbers: Chiefs Break Their Winless Streak

After the international break and Carling Cup action, PSL football returned midweek with five games. Kaizer Chiefs ended their three-game winless streak, which had threatened to derail their positive start to the season. The victory elevated them to sixth on the table, 11 points behind leaders Orlando Pirates. More importantly, they are now just three points away from third place, keeping their hopes alive for a CAF competition spot. By the Numbers is a statistical breakdown of the week, focusing on a key game.

A Stop-Start Season

One of the biggest challenges facing coach Nasreddine Nabi and his new technical team is the lack of consistent game time for Chiefs this season. While fewer matches provide more rest and recovery time for players, it hampers momentum and limits opportunities to implement coaching strategies in competitive settings. There are also fitness and conditioning concerns, as it’s difficult to replicate the intensity of official matches through friendly games.

Compared to their rivals, especially CAF participants, the disparity is evident:

8: Games played by Chiefs this season

17: Games played by Pirates and Sundowns

18: Games played by Stellenbosch

Although Chiefs started their season later than these teams, the difference remains stark even when comparing the frequency of matches:

6.3: Average days between games for Stellenbosch

6.8: Average days between games for Pirates and Sundowns

9.2: Average days between games for Chiefs

Bouncing Back

Heading into Wednesday night’s match, Chiefs were desperate for a win after three games without victory. Facing a struggling Richards Bay side, they needed a strong performance to rebuild confidence.

Despite Reeve Frosler’s red card complicating matters, Chiefs proved too strong for their opponents. Playing with 10 men forced them to adapt, relying on counterattacks and a more conservative approach as the match progressed.

This result not only secured three crucial points but also showcased the team’s resilience under challenging circumstances. It’s a step in the right direction as Chiefs look to regain consistency and push for a top-three finish.

7 – shots in the 2nd half for Chiefs (after the redcard – their 2nd lowest in a game this season)

5 – shots on target for Chiefs (their 2nd lowest in a game this season)

1.55 – xG for Chiefs (0.94 for Richards Bay)

As the visual shows, Richards Bay’s attack only really came to life after the red card. But it was too little too late.

The game outcome probability shows that Chiefs were good value for the win. Based on the quality of chances they created, and conceded, Chiefs win this game half the time. Pre-game, the odds gave Chiefs a 63% chance of victory, and a 30% chance for the draw. While the red card did not affect the result in the end, it had an effect on the probabilities, given that nearly half the game was played with 10-v-11.

Maart Shines

Yusuf Maart had a good game, capped off with two assists and the Man of the Match award. With slightly better finishing, he could have added a goal to that contribution. This was the first time Maart has provided two assists in a single league game in his career. Overall, he is also the first Chiefs player to do so since Pule Mmodi (vs Orlando Pirates in March). With Sbongiseni Mthethwa partnered with him in midfield, he had license to roam

45 – successful passes for Maart (his most in a game this season)

2 – shots for Maart in this game (as many as all his other games this season)

2 – touches in the opposition box for Maart, more than all his other games this season