Kaizer Chiefs sit fourth in the PSL, just two points off SuperSport United in second place. They have a great chance of qualifying for the CAF Champions League or at least the Confederation Cup for the 2023/24 season. After a three-match losing streak, they’ve now been beaten just once in eight fixtures. Prior to that run of defeats, the Soweto giants had a run of one loss in 12 matches in all competitions. Adding to that, it’s four wins on the bounce, something not achieved for a full six years, amazingly! What are the reasons for the improvement in results and is a two-week hiatus going to cool the head of steam the Glamour Boys have been building? Soccer Laduma investigates…
Four victories on the trot!
Since the shock 2-1 loss at home to Golden Arrows – a side that came into that encounter with four away losses in their previous five – Kaizer Chiefs have truly bounced back as four successive victories have been forthcoming. A 1-0 win against archrivals Orlando Pirates in the Soweto Derby preceded a 1-0 victory at Richards Bay FC. The side added to that by beating lower league opponents in Casric Stars, in the Nedbank Cup, before a 3-2 win at Maritzburg United last Saturday night. Much has been made of this being the first four-match winning streak since Steve Komphela was in charge and factually that is correct. The last time it was done was in April 2017 as the Kroonstad-born mentor oversaw four victories that also including beating opponents from below the top tier in Acornbush United. More impressive perhaps is that Komphela’s winning streak came in a run of 14 unbeaten matches with 11 wins, which included a five-game PSL winning charge! After that April ’17 winning streak, Amakhosi were tied-top of the PSL standings with Cape Town City after playing 24 matches. However, they crumbled in their final six games with just five points accrued as Bidvest Wits won the title. If we look at Arthur Zwane, he is on three league wins in a row for the second time this season. The Soweto giants haven’t won four successive DStv Premiership fixtures since 2019 when Ernst Middendorp oversaw eight league wins in a row in a golden run of form that saw 21 goals scored.
