OPINION: It could get ugly for Zwane if Chiefs lose to Pirates

It’s Soweto derby build-up week, this time with an open schedule as there were no midweek games in the Premier Soccer League, leaving several days free for an excess of hype focusing on Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.

LISTEN: Is it boiling point for Chiefs and Zwane in Soweto derby?

The Soweto derby is always an event, with 90 000 people packing into FNB Stadium, whether a side is wallowing in a pit of mediocrity (see Kaizer Chiefs) or finding some form but still nowhere near challenging for the league title (see Orlando Pirates).

For Amakhosi head coach Arthur Zwane, the masses of Chiefs supporters packed into the ground could prove his biggest headache since arriving as permanent head coach.

There were already boos for Zwane in the 3-2 loss at home to Golden Arrows on Sunday, where there were far fewer supporters. Chiefs are publicly backing the “project” under Zwane, but at Chiefs, once fans have turned on you, it is hard to see a way back.

Much like Graham Potter and Chelsea, it is hard to see what the Çhiefs “project” is. Younger players, like Mduduzi Shabalala, have been thrown into the mix and have done fairly well, but the results continue to be awful, even for a team that is rebuilding.

A derby win could provide an immediate balm for Zwane, and there is every chance Amakhosi will win a game where form often flies out of the window. Pirates have done well this year, with the exception of a loss at home to Mamelodi Sundowns, though to be fair, right now, everyone loses to the Masandawana bullet train.

Pirates verve

Jose Riveiro appears to have finally found the right attacking verve in his team, helped by the return to sparkling form of Monnapule Saleng and the return from injury of Thembinkosi Lorch.

The Buccaneers could well be the team to ultimately grab second behind Sundowns and a place in next season’s Caf Champions League.

That should be enough for Riveiro to keep his spot in the Pirates hot seat, having already won this season’s MTN8 and with the Nedbank Cup still a possibility.

For Zwane, the situation seems more nuanced, even with the backing of the Chiefs hierarchy and with the love he still holds in the hearts of Chiefs fans from his days as a brilliant player.

The problem is that brilliant players do not always make brilliant head coaches as, for example, Frank Lampard has found out at both Chelsea and Everton.

Signs of Chiefs’ supporters impatience are starting to slip out and there has to be a chance this will spill over if Amakhosi are embarrassed by Pirates on Saturday.

Steve Komphela’s fate as a Chiefs head coach was sealed after the fans rioted following a Nedbank Cup semifinal loss to Free State Stars in 2018. If it becomes heated at FNB Stadium, Chiefs may not want to remove their head coach, but in some ways their hand could be forced by any growing animosity towards Zwane.

A “project” is all very well, but without some kind of clear path forward, including results, it can quickly be turned upside down.