Kaizer Chiefs might have had a roller-coaster start to the season, but they’ll still be the team to beat when they visit TS Galaxy in Mbombela tomorrow (3pm kick-off).
Chiefs are the most successful team in the land. And as such, their success has been coupled with the biggest following, in numbers, to date.
But be that as it may, they haven’t been menacing in the last decade, as their last piece of silverware was the league title in 2015 under then-coach Stuart Baxter.
So, having gone through numerous changes in the office and on the bench, the Amakhosi were hoping that they could turn things around this season.
Boy, they wanted to hit two birds with one stone – new coach Nasreddine Nabi was expected to get results, and get the best out of the players at his disposal.
Sure, Nabi’s predecessors had signed players which he had to inherit, but the club wanted youngsters to grow in leaps and bounds this season as well.
The trio of Mduduzi Shabalala, Mfundo Vilakazi and Wandile Duba have since heeded the call, showing their qualities in the first few games.
However, there’s only so much that they can do.
DRC SPORTS MINISTER VISITS KAIZER CHIEFS
— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) December 14, 2024
This past Monday, 9 December, Kaizer Chiefs played host to a distinguished visitor, His Excellence, the honourable Didier Budimbu Ntubuanga, Minister for Sport for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Accompanied by CEO of the… pic.twitter.com/QQjUS24b5j
Nabi needed everyone to come to the fore – and that hasn’t been the case, given the team’s slow start to the season.
Chiefs are languishing in ninth on the Premiership log, and that’s a poor situation, given the fact that they were expected to compete for the title this season.
You see, Nabi arrived at the club with a lofty billing as he had an impressive two-year stint at Young Africans, winning two league titles and two cup competitions.
And while his last stint with AS FAR unleashed a barren run, he still had a decent time in Morocco, finishing second – just a point behind champions Raja Casablanca.
But gone are the days of operating in Tanzania and Morocco – the 53-year-old must ensure that Chiefs are solid all round, and win matches in domestic football.
The trip to Mbombela will offer them an opportunity to do just that. After all, Mpumalanga is rich in nature, with most tourists – if not all – visiting the province for good fortunes.
Chiefs are in desperate need of good fortune as they’ve been enduring a mixed return in the last three games: drawing with Royal AM, beating Richards Bay and losing to Polokwane City.
The last loss probably stung. After all, it was Polokwane that finished eighth on the log last season, at their expense, as the Glamour Boys incredibly settled for 10th.
Galaxy, too, benefited from Chiefs’ fall from grace last season.
The Rockets attained their best finish (sixth) in the league, qualifying for the MTN8 for the first time ever under coach Sead Ramovic.
Ramovic has since left the club, joining Nabi’s former employers Young Africans as a replacement for Miguel Gamondi, who once coached Mamelodi Sundowns.
But the footprints of Ramovic haven’t totally faded from this Galaxy team. There’s still a real zeal for victory, as they’ve bagged seven points out of nine recently.
The urge to win is now propelled by Ramovic’s former assistant Adnan Beganovic, and he too will want to leave his own mark by beating the best in the land, including the Amakhosi.
Galaxy already have Chiefs’ number. They beat them in the 2019 Nedbank Cup final when the latter were still in the NFD, before continuing with the battle in the top-flight.