Now for round two of the derby

Idon’t think a semifinal in the Telkom Knockout against Orlando Pirates is a draw that Kaizer Chiefs would have wanted so soon after their defeat to Pirates in the league.

Pirates won that match convincingly and I think Chiefs would rather have met them at a later stage, when a bit more football has been played. But it is what it is, it is a derby, and it is an opportunity for them to get things right.

The result was there for Chiefs against SuperSport in the quarterfinals, but again there are some questions. In defence they still look shaky, but coming up against a very experienced SuperSport team they did well, and this victory will give them confidence.

The defence does need to start clicking, George Maluleka coming in for Siphelele Ntshangase gives the midfield a bit more bite and gives more licence to attacking players like Dumisani Zuma, Khama Billiat and Bernard Parker.

Malulekais an important piece of the puzzle, but some fans may prefer Ntshangase because he is a bit more exciting, but Maluleka has the pedigree to do a bit of both.

I think the longer Billiat plays with Leonard Castro, they will be a bit fitter. By the time the Pirates game comes at the end of the month, they will have had three or four games under their belts and will be a bit more effective.

Parker seems to be playing out wide on the left or right but I would prefer Parker closer to Castro, closer to the goal, not to use his energy chasing players out wide. I think you can leave Zuma and Billiat out wide, they are intelligent enough to know when to come in and when to stay wide. I think a bit of tinkering will see Chiefs in better shape when they play Pirates.

With the Itumeleng Khune incident, the rules come into play and it says if you intentionally prevent a goal and handle the ball outside your area, it is a red card. He had to go off and that clearly would have changed the dynamics of the SuperSport game.

As for Pirates, I think it is always going to be difficult coming up against AmaZulu – they always do well against big clubs. However, Pirates look very confident at the moment, they are making less changes to their starting XI, and there is still a lot of depth on the bench. You see the likes of Thabo Qalinge and Mpho Makola coming on, they are quality players who make an impact. If Thembinkosi Lorch runs out of steam, you have Qalinge or Luvuyo Memela or Makola – so many to call on. They have so much depth and it is really starting to pay off.

I have also noticed that Pirates’ fitness levels are right up there, if you look at them in the derby against Chiefs, they ran riot in the last phase and against AmaZulu they never seemed to be tiring. That is a big feather in their cap.

Finally, with Thulani Serero’s Bafana call-up, Stuart Baxter clearly values players who are playing abroad and I agree with this, because the level you are playing at overseas, when you do come home, tactically you are at a higher level.

Serero is one of my favourite players, he has the pedigree to play at any level. I know at Vitesse Arnhem he plays a more defensive role, the No 6 role. I am not sure where Baxter will use him. Let’s see if he is deployed in defensive midfield or in attack.