Season-defining time for Mosimane’s Downs

It is a big week for Kaizer Chiefs in the league, first up with Mamelodi Sundowns tonight, then with Orlando Pirates in the Soweto derby on Saturday.

It goes without saying that Chiefs haven’t been doing very well. They now have a chance to redeem themselves against Mamelodi Sundowns and they must use this opportunity to make sure they regain the respect and trust of their supporters in this crucial game. They have seen in the last couple of games that their fans are not happy at all.

On the flip side, Sundowns have been knocked out of the Caf Champions League and this is the opportunity for them to now fully focus on the league so they can qualify for the 2018 Champions League, since they have now made it part of their culture to compete in this competition, and for them to maintain that culture, they need to win the league, or at least finish second.

This is a big rivalry and whenever the two teams go out onto the pitch, it doesn’t matter how they played in their previous games, it only depends on the next one and how much do they want it. The likes of Percy Tau and Themba Zwane are on form, and for Chiefs, the likes of Itumeleng Khune and Siphiwe Tshabalala are also on song, which to me indicates it will be an interesting game.

When playing against Chiefs, it is always a motivation on its own irrespective of current form, and in that, I believe Pitso Mosimane will tell his players that they are going up against a well-respected team. I believe that the ‘if you beat Chiefs you will be the talk of the town’ factor still holds weight, regardless of the fact they haven’t won any trophies in the last couple of seasons.

I reckon Steve Komphela will give his players more of the same speech, that they are playing the outgoing African champions and that alone should be huge motivation. Komphela is aware that if they beat Sundowns, they will be praised as the team that beat the African champions. Let’s face it, Sundowns are currently the biggest club in the country, and they are starting to gain the upper hand over Pirates and Chiefs.

For Chiefs, this is a most important week, not that their other fixtures are less important, but these games could prove season-defining in the long run. They will go a long way in terms of regaining confidence within the team if they do well against Sundowns and Pirates. If the results go in their favour, it would be a great inspiration to go on and win the league.

Congratulations to Eric Tinkler for winning the MTN8 over his old employers Cape Town City. He is an experienced coach and he

showed his worth. For Benni McCarthy, after hearing him placing the blame on himself, stating that his inexperience on the bench cost his side after he made what he called “the wrong substitutions”, I feel it is unfair, because these are the mistakes that even an experienced coach could have made in the midst of excitement and pressure.

Benni defeated big teams on the way to the final, which goes to prove he is a strategic coach. However, in this case, it was an issue of making incorrect judgments. He needs to consider this as a learning curve. Even though he may look at it as a disappointment, it is not a setback. He has now seen what it has been like in a final and how losing a final as a coach feels. He needs to absorb all that and move forward.