27 January 2019, by: Thabang Kgeledi

PSL Talking Points – Matchday 20

Kaizer Chiefs dug out an important three-points, while Cape Town City win again and the Orlando Pirates ship keeps foraging onwards.

These and a couple more talking points in another thrilling Matchday weekend in the Absa Premiership.

Lebo Manyama’s late winner saw Kaizer Chiefs come away with a win against Golden Arrows and extend their lead at the top.

This game was more for the football purist or in layman’s terms for people who had nothing better to do on their Saturday afternoon. A tactical battle between two of the best coaches in the league that was sometimes hard to watch. Golden Arrows played deep and allowed Chiefs to have the ball in certain areas, they made Amakhosi work hard for every goal-scoring opportunity.

All of Arrows good work was undone when in stoppage time Lebo Manyama found the back of the net with a crisp volley. Kaizer Chiefs showed the character of a championship-winning team by digging out a favourable result. They now move 10 points clear of Mamelodi Sundowns at the top of the Absa Premiership table.

Cape Town City managed to win their second game in succession for the first time this season with a 1-0 victory over Black Leopards. In a match that is described in soccer lingo as a six-pointer (this describes a game between two teams with similar league positions). Cape Town held on to a lead given to them by Kermit Erasmus shortly after the hour mark to see off their fellow strugglers.

The Citizens were coming off an impressive win over Bidvest Wits. The win puts them six points above the relegation zone. Coach Jan Olde Riekerink and his City team may have turned the corner or this may just be a win against a bad team.

Amazulu have lost four of their last five games. They have conceded 13 and scored four in their last 10 matches. I think it’s safe to say that Usuthu are a stinker of a team.

This weekend, they lost to a rampant Orlando Pirates but kept the score down to only 1-0. Amazulu played fairly well but the result was never in doubt. The only positive for them this season has been Bongi Ntuli. The lumbering striker has scored 10 goals. Unfortunately, that’s 10 of their 11 goals scored this season.

Here is my piece of advice for Amazulu: It is impossible to win a soccer game without scoring goals. If you don’t win, you lose or draw. Get enough of those and you get relegated. Thank me later.

With their 1-0 win against Amazulu, Pirates have won four out of four games in January. Pirates moved to just 12 points behind Kaizer Chiefs which has prompted debates about their chances to win the league.

A dozen points may be insurmountable at this stage of the season. What the Buccaneers should hope for is a transfer of their league form to the Nedbank Cup so they could at least pick up some silverware this season.

Last year Orlando Pirates were an inconsistent team in every sense of the word. This year they are winning games and scoring for fun. Is their 180 degrees turn around thanks to the arrival of new coach Josef Zinnbauer or departure of Rhulani Mokwena?

A late goal by substitute Tshidiso Patjie helped Baroka come away with a 2-1 victory against Maritzburg United.

While Polokwane City were being beaten by Stellenbosch, Black Leopards being thumped by Cape Town City, and Amazulu being swept aside by Orlando Pirates; Baroka found a way to win against a Maritzburg United side that had been unbeaten in their previous five games.

Baroka are now three points above the drop zone. Their next three fixtures are up against Highlands Park, Bidvest Wits and Bloemfontein Celtics. Those teams, on paper at least, are superior. But, their two games against Black Leopards and Amazulu at the begging of March will probably determine if they stay in the top flight or not.

MORE SOCCER