11 November 2019, by: Thabang Kgeledi

PSL Talking Points – Matchday 11

Kaizer Chiefs opened up a 10 point lead after another exhilarating Soweto derby with Orlando Pirates struggling to get the right results despite an encouraging performance. Meanwhile, Mamelodi Sundowns stuttered once more against Golden Arrows.

As usual, we have got your PSL matchday 11 talking points right here.

Kaizer Chiefs came away 3-2 winners against Orlando Pirates in the Soweto derby. They have collected 21 of a possible 24 points in their last eight games and are now 10 points ahead of second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns. There are still 19 games to be played this season but as it stands, it’s their title to lose.

In the Soweto derby, Amakhosi were not and their best and were somewhat fortunate to come away with three points. They won the match without playing well and this should be a concern for the rest of the league.

Bidvest Wits are 13 points behind Kaizer Chiefs with four games in hand. The Clever Boys’ inconsistency doesn’t give me faith that they will win all four. Even if they do, they will still be one point behind.

After scoring an own goal and conceding a soft free header, Orlando Pirates looked dead and buried in the first 25 minutes of the derby. The Buccaneers fought their way back to 2-2 and were on the ascendancy.

Their dominance was wiped out when their left fullback Paseka Mako tackled Benard Parker from behind inside of the box. Daniel Cardoso converted the penalty and the game ended 3-2 in Kaizer Chief’s favour.

Pirates were the better footballing team and deserved something from this game. Their supporters were disappointed at the loss but proud of the team’s performance. Pirates’ brilliant come back has bought underpressure Rhulani Mokwena another couple weeks as head coach.

I went on a mini Twitter rant last Wednesday. I tweeted about how Pitso Mosimane, with the wealth of talent in his squad, didn’t rotate his stacked Sundowns team for their 0-0 draw against Baroka. Then after the match, he had this to say:

“Difficult game for us, you could see we were not fresh. That 120 minutes took a little bit from us three days back and these guys weren’t playing,”

Pitso Mosimane lamented his team’s “freshness” after their win over Chippa United on penalties in the Telkom Knockout the weekend before. Pitso, of course, your squad is going to be fatigued if you going to play the same players for 210 minutes within 36 hours.

It seems as though Pitso Mosimane read my tweets and made five changes to his starting lineup against Golden Arrows yesterday. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. Sundowns got battered 3-2 against Steve Komphela’s team. Sundowns looked lethargic and indecisive. One thing I forgot to put in my tweets was when you rotate your squad, it would help if the players you are replacing your first team players with are like for like.

He played Rivaldo Coetzee and Andile Jali in his midfield. Two defensive-minded midfielders who neither have the passing or long-range shooting ability of his captain Hlompho Kekana. He replaced Sibusiso Vilakazi with Mauricio Affonso. The Uruguayan is good in the air but doesn’t have the skill or creativity of one of Sundown’s best attackers.

Cape Town City sent Benni McCarthy packing last Sunday. Rumours say it was because Benni and the owner John Comitis didn’t see eye to eye. I think it had something to do with Cape Town City being 13th on the Absa Premiership table having won only one of their first nine games. Their bad run extends to last season where they only have three victories in 18. It was time for McCarthy to go.

Yesterday Cape Town City suffered another loss this time at the hands to fellow league strugglers Black Leopards. Olde Riekerink was unveiled by City on Wednesday as the replacement for Benni McCarthy. He has yet to be on the City’s bench because he is waiting for a work permit. They will be looking for him to get Cape Town City back to the winning form of a year ago.

Chippa United (16th place, seven points) who actually won their first league game this weekend are at the bottom of the pile. Coach Mapeza has bemoaned a lack of quality in his team. His squad may need reinforcements in January. That’s if, of course, he even lasts that long as their coach.

Amazulu (15th place, 11 points) fired Cavin Johnson early on in the season. They still, however, haven’t escaped the claws of the relegation zone even after going on a three-game winning streak which was broken by Chippa United.

Newcomers Stellenbosch (14th place, 11th points) have held their own against some of the big boys in the league but do not have the requisite quality to win the games. Their defence stood firm for a draw against Highlands Park after going a man down in the first half. Owner Johann Rupert is circumspect about spending some of his Remgro money on the club. He may need to if he wants them to say in this division.

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