Billiat is the big Chief
SOWETO DERBY: ON HIS DAY THE ZIMBABWEAN CAN RIP OPEN ANY DEFENCE
Amakhosi in a good space ahead of second Bucs clash in as many weeks.
Khama Billiat will be one of the players who Kaizer Chiefs supporters will have pinned their hopes of doing a double over their old rivals Orlando Pirates in this afternoon’s Absa Premiership Soweto derby at FNB Stadium. The game is set for a 3.30pm start. Chiefs beat Pirates in a penalty shootout in last weekend’s Telkom Knockout.
On a good day – like he showed in an exhibition match against
Mamelodi Sundowns recently – Billiat can unravel any defence and set his team up for a big win.
And while his performances have not been at a level that he is known to be capable of, he is slowly getting back to the form that saw him become a household name in local football.
He said he is now beginning to grasp Ernst Middendorp’s system and how he wants him to contribute to the team. There was a time when the nifty attacker looked unhappy at Amakhosi as he struggled to understand the German mentor’s ways which gave rise to rumours that he had wanted out. But all that is in the past now. “We have just started understanding each other better, and everyone now understands the coach’s philosophy better,” Billiat said this week.
“I think that’s one thing that we didn’t get right when the coach arrived. We never really understood properly what our roles are, and how to be in certain moments. It took a bit of time. And I think we’re getting into it and we really look like a team right now. We are a unit… And when you are in a good space everything just starts flowing.
Billiat’s words will go down the supporters’ ears like fine wine down a connoisseur’s throat. The news that the Zimbabwean wanted out stabbed like Shaka Zulu’s spear on the Amakhosi faithful.
“We understand it (coach’s system) a lot better now, and things that were difficult for us have become easier. Through hard work and paying attention to detail, it seems to be working for us,” said the 29-year-old.
A win over their biggest rivals will be a boost for Middendorp’s side who have opened a seven point gap atop the Absa Premiership although Bidvest Wits and Sundowns have games in hand.
Billiat says they need to keep working hard and improving for them to meet the targets they set for this season.
“We want to challenge ourselves to see how far we can go and how many games we can win. That will help us reach the targets we set. Chiefs are a big club and even if Pirates have been doing better before (in derbies). It’s a big game and we are expected to do well like in every game. We just hope we are moving in the direction and can take care of ourselves and work as hard as we can on the day,” said Billiat.
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