As a long-suffering supporter of the Premier Soccer League who always hopes for the improvement of its standard of football, I have found the start of the 2022/23 season rather compelling.
At the time of writing, Kaizer Chiefs have just beaten Maritzburg United 3-0 in their first home game of the season, following their opening day defeat at Royal AM. It is not only that Amakhosi have managed to right their wrongs three days after suffering the ignominy of again going down to the league’s new boys, but also how they did it that has impressed me.
For the thirty-odd minutes of their win over the Team of Choice that I was able to watch on Tuesday night, the Chiefs looked in good shape. They attacked with frightening impetus, aided by their pace up front. The forward combination of Khama Billiat, new signing Ashley du Preez and Keagan Dolly was especially interesting because of the speed at which they operate.
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It was that front line that made the best out of another recruit as Yusuf Maart’s brilliant high-pressing led to their second goal. Dolly chipped the ball into the open net after goalkeeper King Ndlovu had rushed off his line to save Billiat’s shot from an intercepted poor back pass to the ‘keeper. It was a pretty sight, a reward for the sort of aggressive attack you would expect to be a consistent feature of a big club like Chiefs.
Also on Tuesday, Swallows beat Cape Town City 3-2 to record their first win of the season, which is also a result that I found interesting. That is because I expected City to have it relatively easy against a team that was outclassed by Orlando Pirates just three days prior.
Also, because City is a better team than Swallows – by some distance too – if you consider that the former finished second in the league last season while the Dube Birds had to fight for their lives in the post-season promotion/relegation playoffs.
Last Friday’s opening match between City and the champions Sundowns also delivered the goods. With the 2-0 win at the Cape Town Stadium, Sundowns made a serious statement, which I’m sure made all the other teams shake in their boots even before they could kick a ball in the new season.
As they should, the easy victory for Sundowns at their closest rivals from last season probably means they are still head and shoulders above everyone else.
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