By the Numbers: DSTV Premiership – Matchday 6

The was back in action this past weekend and a host of surprises were on the table. On Friday, the defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns came up short in the Tshwane derby. Saturday saw Kaizer Chiefs being held to a scoreless draw against AmaZulu whilst Cape Town City managed to end TS Galaxy’s clean sheet status. Elsewhere, on Sunday, Maritzburg United came away with maximum points at home through a very soft penalty against Orlando Pirates. As usual, we dig beyond the score lines to look at some of the numbers that may not have seen the public eye.

SuperSport United v Mamelodi Sundowns

SuperSport United got revenge against their Tswane neighbours Mamelodi Sundowns last Friday evening for dumping them out of the MTN 8 competition the previous week. It was another strong showing from the defending champions yet they lacked the final ball to put their opponents away. Considering that they only lost three games during the entire 2021/22 league season, their second loss came very early into the 2022/23 campaign. What about the numbers though – what can they tell us?

Sundowns:

73% – their second-highest ball possession figure of the 2022/23 season. The two other times when they had at least 70% of the possession (vs TS Galaxy & Sekhukhune United), they lost and drew games.

608 – the third most passes in a league game this season. At the heart of pass attempts and accurate passes was veteran Andile Jali.

6 – the third-highest number of chances created in a league game for 2022/23 (highest was against Chiefs in August).

23 – box entries compared to SuperSport United’s 8 box entries.

18 – the highest number of shots taken at this stage of the 2022/23 league campaign (previous was 17 against Stellenbosch FC in August). The visual below shows their shooting locations which can further highlight their incredible xG figure from the game as well.

2.1 xG – This was their second highest xG figure of the season and a stepping stone to match their average across all of last season.

SuperSport United:

Gavin Hunt has worked magic since his appointment at Matsatsantsa. Whilst it currently may not be reflected in the league table, SuperSport have been underperforming if you look at all the predictive metrics. The Tswane outfit and Cape Town City have been one of the go-to attacking teams this season yet have also displayed some impressive defensive performances. 

43% – The average possession figure for the team across their 6 league games this season.

207 – attempted passes against the champions. Their lowest total of the league season to date and the lowest since the 2018/19 season. Incidentally, the 2nd lowest amount was also against Sundowns (252) passes in May 2021.  

8 – box entries for both league games against Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns. Before that, in their previous league games, they achieved 16, 18 and 25 box entries against TS Galaxy, AmaZulu FC & Chippa United.

1.14 xG – The first 3 games saw SSU create at least 2 xG per game yet when facing ‘stronger’ teams this figure did dip which we can expect to see.

Kaizer Chiefs v AmaZulu FC

Kaizer Chiefs secured their first draw of the 2022/23 campaign but at the same time had another frustrating evening against AmaZulu. Arthur Zwane’s side had chances but also gave AmaZulu plenty of opportunities to win the game. What did the numbers say?

Kaizer Chiefs:

349 – the number of passes that AmaKhosi had against AmaZulu. Yusuf Maart was back in the side after his suspension and finished the game with the most pass attempts, most accurate passes as well as creating the most expected threat (movement of the ball into dangerous areas of the field) of all AmaKhosi players. The visual below shows us how high up the field the Glamour Boys found themselves when in possession of the ball – unfortunately, they could not come away with a result.

11 – the number of shots taken to AmaZulu’s 8 shooting opportunities

18% – their second lowest shot on target percentage figure, the lowest came in the 4-0 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns. Their shot maps below can help us examine why their on-target shooting was so low – they took multiple attempts from distance.

7 – whilst they are 6 points behind log leaders Royal AM, they do have one game in hand. On a positive note, they are a point better off than at the same stage last season.

AmaZulu:

11 – Brandon Truter’s side are flying high in the league and already have four points more than at the same stage last season.

0.57 xG – The side are fluctuating massively when it comes to chance creation measured by xG. One week they manage to create over 1 xG, the next game they are unable to reach the levels of their previous game.

TS Galaxy v Cape Town City FC

The Rocket’s clean sheet record this season has come to an end. The Citizens became the first team to put the ball past TS Galaxy goalkeeper Melusi Buthelezi this season. What other numbers stood out?

Cape Town City FC:

8 – this was the first time this season that the most attacking team in the league struggled to get into double figures for shots taken.

2.2 – Despite the low shot count from Cape Town City, they were still able to amass their highest xG total for the season to date. TS Galaxy on the other hand were only able to create a low 0.47 xG. Their shot maps below tell the story themselves – CT City took their opportunities from inside the box, TS Galaxy on the other hand pulled the trigger from distance o numerous occasions.

13 – entries into the opposition box for the Citizens while interestingly the Rockets had 10 entries themselves but did not take opportunities when inside the area.