Kaizer Chiefs shift focus to league title but shortcomings expose a difficult road

COMMENT

The heavy expectations that weighed on Kaizer Chiefs to win at least two trophies this season are now behind them. Amakhosi can now shift their focus to one competition: the coveted Betway Premiership.

Chiefs had an unprecedented purple patch at the start of the year, winning their first four matches. As such, pressure mounted on them to win a treble, including the league, the CAF Confederation Cup, and the Nedbank Cup. But alas, the Chiefs of old began to reappear.

Amakhosi failed to defend their Nedbank Cup title at the first attempt after losing 2–1 in the last 32 to Stellenbosch, coached by former mentor Gavin Hunt, earlier this month.

Thereafter, Chiefs were implored by their supporters, club legends, and management to go all the way in contesting for the league and continental titles. But that, too, has fallen to the wayside after they were booted out of the CAF Confederation Cup on Saturday night.

Chiefs failed to progress beyond the group stage and qualify for the quarter-finals after finishing third in their group following a 2–1 loss to Zamalek in Ismailia, Egypt.

The final match of the group stage, however, wasn't Chiefs’ undoing. It had started earlier when co-coach Cedric Kaze began to bemoan the team’s congested domestic fixture schedule, while taking jibes at other clubs for being allowed enough time to rest despite not having continental obligations.

Their grievances largely spoke of coaches who do not know how to manage a heavy workload, given that they should know success comes with adversity, including juggling many games in a short space of time.

Additionally, the fact that they didn’t bolster the team in the January transfer window seems to have come back to haunt them. Either they were negligent regarding the injury crisis, or they simply didn’t believe they would reach the final group-stage game still in contention for a quarter-final berth.

The injury concerns are just one piece of the puzzle. Chiefs may have won matches at the start of the year, but their bluntness in front of goal resulted in slender 1–0 scorelines – something that eventually came back to haunt them as well.

They were wasteful in the 2–1 win over Al Masry in the penultimate group-stage match, appearing merely comfortable with the lead and the victory, whereas a more convincing win – starting with a two-goal cushion – would have ensured they reached the knockout stage with a superior head-to-head advantage over the Egyptians.

While the Amakhosi might argue that Brandon Petersen has had his best season between the sticks, fatigue from playing regularly seems to have caught up with the goalkeeper. Since conceding in the loss to Stellenbosch, “Beezer” has now conceded in two successive matches, including five goals in just three games.

The manner in which Kaze and co-coach Khalil Ben Youssef managed their squad largely told the tale of two novices trying to swim with the sharks. Perhaps Kaze and Ben Youssef will view their elimination from the other two competitions as a blessing in disguise, as they will now be able to give the league title their undivided attention.

It’s a realistic target.

They will be able to plan for familiar local teams while travelling to familiar venues, where they are almost certain to have the majority of supporters in the stands, even during away games.

Having shown that their poor return in front of goal can still yield results at home – given that they are currently third on the log with 30 points, six behind arch-rivals and log leaders Orlando Pirates, who have played one game more – they will believe that it may still be enough to guide them to the promised land this season.

Kaze and Ben Youssef know they are competing with Sundowns and Pirates for the title, but they might also take confidence from the fact that they are yet to play Sundowns away, as well as Pirates over two legs (starting at the end of February); and those are golden opportunities that could boost their title hopes.

Whether that will ultimately be the case remains to be seen, but the Amakhosi faithful and their co-coaches must now view the league title as their only shot at redemption – one that could prove catastrophic if not seized.