Kaizer Chiefs are continuing where they left off last season. That’s not a good thing at all.
Amakhosi report card for 2024 shows immense room for improvement
The Glamour Bots are awful in front of goal
In seven league matches this calendar year, Chiefs have fired blanks in five of them. Their only win in 2024 was a 1-0 success over Golden Arrows. Their only other goal-scoring outing was a 3-2 defeat to Orlando Pirates. The Glamour Boys have failed to score in each of their last three matches. On this form, their fans can forget about a CAF Champions League qualifying spot and even next season’s MTN8 seems like a long shot. Fans have watched SEVEN entire halves of football without a goal. The last time Chiefs hit the back of the net was Ashley du Preez’s 44th-minute strike against Pirates. In the seven halves that followed, Chiefs conceded five times and scored zero. That’s roughly 316 minutes.
Points per game analysis paints an awful picture
Chiefs finished the 2022-23 campaign with a paltry 44 points, that’s 1.47 points per game. This season they’ve got 30 from 23 matches, a points-per-game average of 1.30. That’s a HUGE decline. Projecting this average over a complete season would give them 39 points. Last term that would have only been good enough for a ninth-placed finish.
Worrying trends are repeating themselves
Chiefs have scored 19 goals in 23 games. That means 10 top-flight teams have scored more than them. To be placed 11th out of 16 in that metric isn’t acceptable for a club of this stature, but it’s nothing new. Last season they only got 32 goals in the entire campaign. That left them with the seventh-best attack in the division even though ended fifth. It’s clear where the issues lie. Furthermore, they were the only side in the top six with a negative goal difference.
Can the transfer window fix Chiefs?
The Jury is still out on the club’s transfer activity at the start of the campaign. Pule Mmodi, Given Msimango and Thatayaone Ditlhokwe have been hits but that can’t be said for the rest of their acquisitions. Will the top brass get it right in June? Several targets have been bandied about including Elias Mokwana, Iqraam Rayners and more. There’s no doubt these are good players, but will they fit into the culture at Naturena?
Mfundo Vilakazi is a ray of light
18-year-old wing wizard Mfundo ‘Obrigado’ Vilakazi has signed his first pro deal with the club. Vilakazi has shone for the development team and has long been touted for promotion to the senior side. He’s especially popular for his flamboyant dribbling skills and left foot which have impressed the first-team technical staff. In his breakout campaign, the 18-year-old has made six matchday squads, appearing off the bench twice, including in the Soweto Derby against Orlando Pirates. Vilakazi wears the number 29 jersey. Can he be the panacea to the club’s woes?
Trophy drought continues
It’s been nine long years since the mighty Chiefs won a trophy. The 13-time South African champions lifted the 2015 DStv Premiership crown but it’s been a barren time ever since. Fans across the country, and indeed the continent, will be hoping for this curse to lift in the 2024-25 campaign.
CLICK TO READ MORE ARTICLES BY FOOTBALL FANATIC JAMES FREEMANTLE.
Also, follow The South African on X for up-to-the-minute news updates.