Teams ‘rise up’ against Chiefs

Cavin Johnson (below) believes part of the cause of Kaizer Chiefs’ trophy drought is the extra motivation other teams seem to have when they come up against Amakhosi.

Chiefs will play Golden Arrows at FNB Stadium this evening in the DStv Premiership (kick-off 7.30pm), with the Soweto giants only left with league position to play for after another disappointing campaign.

Chiefs have not scored a goal yet in 2024, playing to goalless league draws against Royal AM and Moroka Swallows, either side of a penalty shoot-out defeat in the Nedbank Cup to Motsepe Foundation Championship side Milford FC.

All of these are games it was reasonable to expect a squad of Chiefs’ quality to win.

“We have a crop of athletes… any one of them has to make sure they put their hand up and make sure they come to the field (against Arrows) and play better than they did today (against Swallows on Saturday),” said Johnson after a 10-man Chiefs had failed to break down the Birds.

“These are the same things we are worried about (not winning) when we play someone in a worse position than us. But I believe anyone who has played Chiefs in the last eight years always put their hands up. Instead of going to one sangoma, they go to five!”

Chiefs lost 2-1 to Golden Arrows in the first round in a game played in soggy conditions at the Mpumalanga Stadium, with Knox Mutizwa grabbing a brace for the home side.

Since beating Chiefs in October, Mabhuti Khanyeza’s Arrows have been on an appalling run of form, losing 10 games in a row in all competitions.

It is a game that Chiefs, who will be without the suspended Edmilson Dove at the back, really should find a way to win, but then that applied to their previous three matches too.