Lessons from PSL season first half
We're not even at the halfway point in the 2022/23 season and there's already a lot to talk about.
The Premier Soccer League is now on an extended break until after the FIFA World Cup, which kicks off in Qatar next Sunday.
We’re not even at the halfway point in the 2022/23 season and there’s already a lot to talk about.
A lot has changed since the start of the season, not least my opinion of José Riveiro. The Orlando Pirates coach already has his first trophy at the Buccaneers, merely four months into the new job and yes, in a new country.
The MTN8 title that he helped Pirates win last weekend made a case for the Spaniard. He did it in style too, beating the all-conquering Mamelodi Sundowns in the semi-finals to book a date with AmaZulu in the final.
That two-legged semi-final was a serious spectacle also because it revealed Riveiro’s wits. The varying approach to the two games showed just how solid the plan he had for the tie was.
Sundowns, on the other hand, was exposed for the imperfect team that they are.
This is, of course, difficult to see on any other occasion because they’ve made a habit of making light work of practically every opponent.
Their former co-head coach Manqoba Mngqithi put their 3-0 loss in the second leg down to the players’ anxiety.
He believes they failed to do the simple things right. He blamed their inability to execute accurate passes, using the width to try open Pirates up, being patient and more.
Mngqithi’s entire post-match press conference that day was quite compelling.
If there’s anything I took out of it is that Sundowns is certainly beatable. Interestingly, Mngqithi has since been demoted to being what Sundowns calls the ‘senior coach’.
Technically, that’s the assistant to the new sole head coach Rulani Mokwena and Steve Komphela, who’s now the first team’s coach.
This makes Komphela Mokwena second in command. Sundowns say the changes are because they need to improve the team’s performance. I say they have ridiculously high standards.
That’s why it’s unfortunate that when they continue to raise the bar, other teams in the league continue to lower it.
Maritzburg United and Sekhukhune United fired their coaches, John Madula and Kaitano Tembo, respectively in the last two weeks.
Both men were in their first season with the clubs but their employers already felt they were failing and couldn’t turn the situation around.
It says a lot about the amount of faith the clubs have in their coaches.
