Why Arthur Zwane believes Chiefs are second-best PSL team after Sundowns

Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane has suggested his team are probably only second-best in the DStv Premiership to Mamelodi Sundowns.

In an erratic season where results have often been hard to come to by as Zwane has attempted to rebuild Chiefs after seven unprecedented seasons without silverware, Amakhosi have fielded questions on the quality of the squad they have assembled.

None of Chiefs’ players made the cut for the Bafana Bafana squad that drew and won against Liberia this past week to qualify for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations.  

But Zwane feels in terms of creating opportunities and quality of play, only six-time successive champions-elect Sundowns have done better than his side.  

“We do have the quality, and yes, when you are Kaizer Chiefs and sometimes things are not going your way [questions will arise] because people expect Chiefs to be up there competing for the No.1 spot,” Zwane said at Chiefs’ Naturena headquarters on Thursday.

The coach was speaking ahead of fourth-placed Amakhosi’s return from the Fifa break with their league fixture against Stellenbosch FC at FNB Stadium on Saturday (5.30pm).

“When things are not going your way, people will always doubt the quality but I will say it again: when you look at the number of chances we have created this season we are probably the second-best after Mamelodi Sundowns.  

“The only difference is that Sundowns took 80% of their chances and we only scored 30%.  

“And when it comes to defending, we have been very sloppy. When you look at all the goals we have conceded, it’s not that teams punished us.

“They punished us because we gave them the ball to punish us. It’s not that they outplayed or outclassed us.  

“Yes, we have had poor performances in terms of games where we were maybe blowing hot and cold on the field, but still we created a number of chances.  

“If you look at the games we played, most of them we have dominated and we were just unfortunate not to win.”

Zwane could get the chance to put his money where his mouth is.

Chiefs wallowed outside the top five for much of the opening half of the season, but 2023 has been far better. They have won four, drawn one and lost one of their six league games before the international break, and with two points separating them and second-placed SuperSport United a runners-up sport is back on the cards for Chiefs.

Consistent missed scoring chances has cost them winning results, but Zwane feels it would be unfair to judge his team’s quality based on that.

He pointed out that even South Africa’s best forwards, such as Percy Tau, miss sometimes, as the Al Ahly forward did with some gilt-edged opportunities as Bafana almost blew their Nations Cup chances drawing 2-2 against Liberia on Friday.  

“We were also in the situation with our national team where at Orlando [Stadium] we created a number of chances. So, would you say it’s [about] quality, If I may ask?” Zwane said.  

“You can’t doubt the quality of Percy Tau. He is one of the exceptional players to come from South Africa and was well-developed because he wasn’t going to be identified by a club in England if he wasn’t quality.  

“That he missed chances doesn’t mean we must say now he is not quality.”  

Zwane will be hope the Fifa break did not disrupt his side’s momentum when they face Steve Barker’s young, eighth-placed Stellenbosch FC, who have also improved in the second half of the season and are always capable of producing an upset.

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