WHAT’S ON CHIEFS VS SUNDOWNS

THE BENCHMARK of success in South African football, Kaizer Chiefs (who have the most trophies in the country) and Mamelodi Sundowns (with most league titles in the PSL era), square off at FNB Stadium on Saturday with a gulf of class separating the two teams.

Sundowns is currently a country-mile ahead of Amakhosi due to the success they have attained under coach Pitso Mosimane. Amakhosi are playing catchup after falling behind in the last three seasons. While Chiefs spent the last three campaigns without a trophy, the Brazilians won the biggest trophy in club football in the continent – the 2016 CAF Champions League and also became a big player in African football with their consistent showing in the competition. That continental title perfectly epitomises how the current gulf of class between Sundowns and Chiefs came about.

The Brazilians have managed to be a consistent figure in the league race due to their high ambitions. Under Mosimane the target for the Chloorkop-based side is not only to be the best in the country, but also in the continent and to fight it out with the best in the world. Sundowns have consistently finished in the top two in the five seasons Jingles has managed them from start to finish, because the aim is not only to win the league but also to qualify for the Champions League and eventually return to playing in the Fifa Club World Cup.

The ticket to the Club World Cup comes from winning the Champions League.

To win the Champions League you must first qualify for it by finishing in the top two, and to finish in the top two you must be consistent in the league marathon. Sundowns have played Champions League football every season Mosimane has started at the helm of the club due to those high demands.

Chiefs’ up-and-down campaign, on the other hand, is largely due to their ambitions that are only confined to the South African borders. Their last four coaching appointments – Ernst Middendorp, Giovanni Solinas, Steve Komphela and Stuart Baxter – had no reputable pedigree in continental football when they were appointed. Their mandate was mainly to continue the club’s good run in this country.

Baxter’s successful tenure featured two league titles and two domestic trophies yet he didn’t even reach the group stage of the Champions League. When the ceiling is that low, it’s easy to quickly reach it, be stifled by it and fall behind a team that claims the sky is the limit for them.

Middendorp has to not only change the status quo, but also return glory days back to Naturena which is why a victory over Sundowns is critical. He is still finding his feet in his second spell at Amakhosi and a win over one of their main rivals would fast-track that process.

Chiefs and Sundowns are currently at a crossroads. Amakhosi are looking to shake-off their three-season barren run which is an anomaly for the country’s cup kings. Sundowns on the other hand are at the building phase of producing another dynasty like the team that won the league in record fashion in 2016 and also lifted the Champions League. This means that both clubs are vulnerable to a defeat but it also means that they’ll do anything for a win as it would be a huge psychological boost ahead of a gruelling couple of months. |