IN THIS picture one would sear Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou knew something his counterpart Khalil Ben Youssef did not as he showed him the ball. Almost similar scenes are expected on Sunday.
Image: Itumeleng English Independent Media
One of the most interesting social media comments last week, as far as Mzansi football is concerned, came from none other than a Kaizer Chiefs supporter.
It read: “Sundowns think we’ll beat Pirates for them so they can win the league. Pirates think we’ll beat Sundowns for them so they can win the league. But the reality is, we’ll beat them both and win the league.”
Ah, the mighty Amakhosi!
Someone in that thread, though, retaliated with some serious shots — the kind that would make even Donald Trump shake in his cowboy boots, thinking, ‘Iran now has new and overly militant allies’. It read: “I have never seen a team win five games in a row and still not be able to catch the teams above them.”
LOL!
The first comment, of course, stemmed from the fact that the Mighty Amakhosi are up against arch-rivals Orlando Pirates in the season’s second and final Soweto derby at FNB Stadium on Sunday afternoon, before visiting perennial South African Premiership winners Mamelodi Sundowns on May 6.
After winning five games on the trot in their ongoing six-game unbeaten run in the Betway Premiership, even counselling psychologists would struggle to dissuade the Amakhosi faithful from harbouring wild thoughts of beating both Sundowns and Pirates to subsequently win the league title.
Mind you, the last time Chiefs won five consecutive league matches was during the 2019/20 season, when they were chasing the title under Ernst Middendorp.
It is part of the Naturena-based club’s best-forgotten history that they ended up losing the title to Pitso Mosimane’s Sundowns on the final day. In fact, during that season, after recording five consecutive league wins, Chiefs went on to win eight in a row.
Another record that was fished out from the bottom of the Jukskei River on Wednesday night — after Chiefs annihilated Premiership strugglers Magesi FC 4-1 — is that it was the first time in the PSL era that Amakhosi have won five consecutive league games while scoring two or more goals per match.
Certainly, Chiefs’ current form, even without analysing their tactics to detail, suggests that they can actually pull off that six-point heist, as they will not be short of support.
Think about it: the Brazilians will surely adopt the themselves as the Glamour Boys on Sunday, since a Chiefs win would see them open an almost insurmountable gap at the summit of the Premiership table — even if only for two hours, as Sundowns themselves will be visiting the stubborn Richards Bay later that afternoon.
Likewise, regardless of the permanent bad blood between the Soweto giants, the Buccaneers will be forced to wish Amakhosi well on May 6, as that could help them sneak up to Bafana ba Style.
You’d think that is it — Chiefs have them by their sensitive parts — but no! Some people always have a comeback, and there it is: even after five wins in a row, Chiefs' best finish still look set to be the Top 3.
As things stand, if Chiefs win all their remaining games, they will end up with 64 points. Pirates and Sundowns are currently on 58 and 56 points respectively, which sets them up to finish well beyond 64 points.
One thing is for sure: Sunday's Soweto derby and the May 6 encounter are by far the most anticipated fixtures remaining on the PSL calendar this season.