PSL action returned following the international break to take centre stage on the football scene this weekend. THABANG KGELEDI takes a look at the take-aways from two of the key encounters.
Trending up: Chiefs win 4 games in 4
After Steve Komphela had a string of uninspiring results toward the end of last season and at the beginning of this one, several Kaizer Chiefs supporters felt it was time for Bobby Motaung to wield his infamous axe.
Fast forward two months later, and Steve Komphela is the name that the Amakhosi faithful are singing. Sitting joint top of the table with Golden Arrows, the Glamour Boys have been on a remarkable run of four wins from four games after their latest victory over Ajax Cape Town this weekend. Now, the trending hashtag on social media is #4/4 and not #KomphelaOut …
Komphela had been chopping and changing players in order to find a combination that bests suits the way he would like his Naturena outfit to play. It seems as though he has found the perfect tonic with a mixture of experience, youth, pace on the flanks, steel in the middle and goals up front.
Not the finished article yet, Chiefs were guilty of a few errors at the back this weekend that fortunately went unpunished and up front they created many chances they failed to take in order to bury the game.
Ajax Cape Town have been struggling for form of late and had issues with finding the winning formula. With no wins in 6 PSL games, it is now coach Roger de Sa that must be feeling the pressure …
Trending down: Orlando Pirates draw again
Orlando Pirates snatched a 1-1 draw from the jaws of defeat against Polokwane City to salvage a somewhat undeserved point on Sunday afternoon at the Peter Mokaba Stadium. In the first half, Muhsin Ertugral’s troops were being overrun in the midfield by Riseand Shine’s slick, quick passing led by captain Jabulani Maluleke.
The men from Limpopo province were duly rewarded for their enterprise in the first stanza with a wonderful curling goal from right-footed attacker Puleng Tlolane seven minutes into the half. Eturgral described the effort as being ‘… a pretty nice goal but in the end, it was a bit lucky’. Well, in actual fact, his team was a bit fortunate not to concede more goals.
City had countless opportunities to put the game to bed but failed to do so and in the last minute of time added on they allowed an in-form Tendai Ndoro to waltz into their penalty area unmarked to expertly head home and level matters. Polokwane City should have done better with the chances they had created and in the end paid for not being clinical enough in front of goal.
The Sea Robbers started off the season with two wins but those victories were less than impressive. Fast forward, and they have drawn three games out of three. The team may be taking the time to familiarise themselves with the new coach’s tactics. They aren’t as fluid in attack as the Ghost we have come to be accustomed to; they are leaky in defence, and they look disjointed as a unit.
Should results continue in this vein it’s only a matter of time till the Happy People will be calling for the Turkish-born coach’s head. After all, where there is smoke, there is usually fire.
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Photo: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
