Kaizer Chiefs being free of continental competition‚ and three of the their fellow Absa Premiership title contenders not having that luxury‚ just could play a role in the championship race‚ says Amakhosi midfielder George Maluleka.
As Chiefs prepare to meet Highlands Park at Amakhosi’s alternate venue at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday (6pm)‚ a run of four wins has the Soweto giants‚ much maligned for the first half of the season‚ firmly in contention.
Chiefs‚ growing in confidence with each positive result‚ are in third place on 30 points from 17 games.
After a year-and-a-half with the team‚ coach Steve Komphela has some form of squad at his disposal that can match his playing philosophy‚ translating into Chiefs’ best fluency under the former Bafana Bafana defender.
And possibly an added factor that just might translate into what at one stage seemed an unlikely league title for Amakhosi is that they are free of continental competition.
- Kaizer Chiefs announce new sponsorshipKaizer Chiefs chairman Kaizer Motaung announced a new transport sponsorship from car manufacturer Toyota at the Soweto soccer giants' headquarters in Naturena outside Soweto on Wednesday.
The same cannot be said of fellow challengers Bidvest Wits in first place)‚ SuperSport United (fourth) and lurking defending champions Mamelodi in fifth.
Asked if this might be a factor in the title race‚ Maluleka said: “I think it will‚ honestly speaking. I think we have been in that same situation before ourselves.
“That was the year where we lost the league to Sundowns having had an 11-point lead.
“We dropped points‚ we were drawing and we became very desperate – and that cost us in a few crucial games.
“We don’t know how the other teams will deal with continental competition. It will take it’s course.
“We’re not worried about them. We’ll just focus on ourselves and make sure that in every game that we go into‚ if we can just make sure that we play very well then at least we’ll give ourselves a chance to come out with a positive result.”
- Komphela marks Paez at 55 percent as new striker makes his Chiefs debutKaizer Chiefs coach Steve Komphela has given Venezuelan striker Gustavo Paez a mark of five-and-half out of 10 after his 30-minute debut appearance‚ where Amakhosi convincingly beat Free State Stars 3-1 at FNB Stadium on Tuesday.
Chiefs’ core of their league and cup double winners frpom 2012-13 and 2014-15 – Maluleka‚ Itutmeleng Khune‚ Mulomowandau Mathoho‚ Willard Katsande‚ Siphiwe Tshabalala and Bernard Parker‚ have been instrumental in the club’s turnaround.
But do Amakhosi have the depth to be league title winners outside of a capable first team.
“We said from the first game of from the second half of the season that we’re going to go all out‚” Maluleka said.
“And definitely‚ I think we do have the depth. We have three or four players in each position‚ so I think that should be enough.”
Maluleka said Chiefs’ players – led by their seniors in the squad – had some heart to hearts as they were struggling for results in the first half of the season.
Now‚ as the wins come‚ so does the confidence.
- Paez can bring a lot to Chiefs‚ says GordinhoGustavo Paez has pace and can take the initiative‚ and could fit in well in South African football‚ defender Lorenzo Gordinho said of his new Kaizer Chiefs team-mate ahead of the striker’s likely debut against Free State Stars on Tuesday night.
“I don’t think much has changed really. I just think we’ve been working on our mindset lately – just to have a positive mindset‚” the playmaker said.
“Because you always can have doubts when you play for a very big club like Kaizer Chiefs. Doubts to say‚ ‘If we lose this game what will happen?’.
“In the first half of the season‚ when we were getting a lot of draws‚ we sat down as a team and discussed the issues.
“I don’t say we resolved everything just by sitting down and speaking‚ but it helped us roll up our sleeves and say‚ ‘You know what‚ we need to do this as a team and not leave anyone behind’.”
Highlands are in second-last place with just two wins from 17 games.
- TMG Digital/TMG Sport
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