AmaZulu coach Truter believes no team will dominate in 2022-23
Image: Darren Stewart/Gallo Images
AmaZulu coach Brandon Truter believes the 2022 Premier Soccer League (PSL) season won’t be a one-horse race.
Last season Mamelodi Sundowns enjoyed complete dominance of SA football, winning a treble domestically as they made a clean sweep of trophies and were almost unchallenged for the league title.
Truter believes this season will be a different story which is evident in the fact that Sundowns have lost twice in their seven matches so far.
Orlando Pirates, who arguably have one of the best squads in the league, also have two defeats to their name after seven matches and all 16 teams have at least lost a match so far.
Truter said this is because of how the season has been set up with teams playing a lot of games in a short space of time. The compressed schedule arises from a month-long domestic Fifa break for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar from November 20 to December 18.
Truter believes many players will struggle with fatigue and that injuries are going to be a problem for most teams.
“I think the league, because of the amount of games we are playing, is set up in a way that anybody can beat anybody. This is purely because of the amount of fatigue caused by playing a lot of games in a short space of time,” Truter said.
“The stats are there — against Cape Town City we ran [an average of] 15km [per player] and in the previous game we ran 12km. We run that distance on every third day.
“We are dealing with humans, not machines. They will break down, they will pick up injuries. Now you have the first XI that is running away with game minutes and what about the rest of the squad. We have to manage that as well.
“It’s a season unlike any other with the amount of fatigue and the amount of games coming.”
Truter said Usuthu played seven games in August in all competitions and in October they are set to play eight games, including the two-legged MTN8 semifinals, where they meet Kaizer Chiefs.
Fourth-placed Usuthu meet last-placed Chippa United at Moses Mabhida Stadium in the league on Saturday (3pm).
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