Khama Billiat has been directly involved in 14 goals in 19 games played across all competitions this season after his sensational hat-trick for Kaizer Chiefs in their 4-0 victory in their Caf Confederation Cup opener.

1) Raise their hands:

Giovanni Solinas made a whole host of changes to the side that failed to book their spot in the Telkom Knockout Cup after suffering a 2-1 loss to arch-rivals Orlando Pirates in the Soweto derby.

The likes of Virgil Vries, Andriamirado ‘Dax’ Andrianarimanana, Kabelo Mahlasela, Daniel Cardoso, Eric Mathoho, Teenage Hadebe and Siphosakhe Ntiya-Ntiya were handed starting berths.

While Vries, Mathoho and Ntiya-Ntiya used the opportunity to stand up and be counted for future use, however the rest and most notably Madagascan signing Dax, failed to take the opportunity and often looked out of sorts.

2) Confidence:

Solinas was criticised for his decision to field an unfit Leonardo Castro in Chiefs’ loss to Pirates in the TKO. Castro previously looked a man short of match fitness and that has since been replaced with confidence.

The former Mamelodi Sundowns man missed a sitter in the first half after being put through on goal. The Colombian isn’t the only one who looked out of sorts, with Dax and Manyama in similar vein.

Taking a healthy 4-0 lead into the return leg, Chiefs should look to utilise as much of their fringe players as possible in a bid to up their confidence.

3) Taking it too lightly:

Despite putting four goals with no reply past their hapless opponents, Chiefs’ performance could have been much better with more goals scored, especially in the first half where the likes of Castro, Manyama and Billiat proved wasteful.

In the first half, the Soweto giants’ attack sprung to life in bits and pieces, with an over-reliance on Billiat to make things tick.

The lack of a playmaker forced Billiat to often drop into midfield in a bid to be the creative spark. It must be acknowledged that Chiefs look far from a finished product in comparison to the likes of Pirates and Sundowns.

4) Defensive woes:

There were a number of positives to be taken from Solinas’ side’s crushing of Zimamoto. While most fans and pundits will focus on the four goals scored by the Amakhosi, it is the lack of goals scored against them which is probably the most impressive thing about the result.

Considering that the Italian mentor almost changed his entire back four with Cardoso playing in the unfamiliar role of right-back, and Hadebe and Mathoho being partnered at the centre of the defence.

The lack of pace in the defence might be a concern for Solinas should he want to deploy the same back four in future, but it must be noted that there was a major improvement in the way the opposition attacks were handled.

5) Khama Billiat:

Displayed his abundant quality with a well-taken hat-trick in his first Caf appearance for the club.

He is by far Chiefs’ most dangerous player on the pitch from any position on the field. However, he is most effective in the final third – something which Chiefs still need to come to grips with.

Since his arrival from Sundowns, Billiat has been directly involved in 14 goals across all competitions in his 19 games played (9 goals and 5 assists)

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