THE FUTURE

Getting there – Siyanda Xulu has survived a tricky start to his Chiefs career per match, with 88.1 percent accuracy. He has engaged in an average of 2.7 50/50 aerial challenges with a success rate of 63 percent, while his average ground 50/50 challenges is at 1.4 per match with a success rate of 64 percent. Gordinho’s overall average success rate is at 71.8 percent. Narrowly behind Gordinho is Xulu, who has featured in just one third of Chiefs’ 27 domestic games so far this season. The former FC Rostov defender boasts the highest average pass success rate of 94.2 percent, out of an average of 29.4 attempted passes per match. He has also won the most aerial duels in the team, with 70.4 percent of his 2.7 attempted 50/50 challenges in the air per match. On the ground, Xulu has been least successful winning only 50 percent of his 1.4 attempted 50/50 tackles per match. Overall, the Durban-born 24-year-old has achieved an average success rate of 71.5 percent. The biggest surprise, perhaps, is that South African international Mathoho is so low down the performance rankings. He has made the most appearances out of all the defenders in the squad this season, but Mathoho’s overall average success rate of 64.4 percent in 22 matches is quite mediocre. ‘Tower’, despite his obvious height advantage, has achieved the worst aerial duel success rate; winning just 51.5 percent of his 3.3 attempted 50/50 challenges in the air per match. On the ground, ‘Tower’ has won 53.8 percent Matoho-Xulu Mathoho-Gordinho Mathoho-Bukenya 6 8 8 of his 1.3 attempted 50/50 challenges per match. Meanwhile, Mathoho has attempted the most passes from the back with an average of 34.6 per match, and 30.4 of them finding their intended recipients. Even Ivan Bukenya, who plays mostly in midfield, but also fills in at centre-back has boasts a better overall average success rate than Tower – 70.8 percent from the 12 matches he has featured in this season. Bukenya’s passing accuracy is almost as good as Xulu’s; with 91.1 percent of his 25.7 attempted passes per match reaching the intended recipients. The powerful Ugandan has been decent in 3 5 6 3 4 4