Four blunders that exposed Middendorp

Remember that loss to Galaxy?

Disaster moments in the reign of Ernst Middendorp at Kaizer Chiefs which led to his sacking include the following:

1. Failure to clinch the title

The biggest talking point, which will remain for years to come, is how Chiefs surrendered the league title to

Mamelodi Sundowns on the last day of the season. Chiefs led the log standings for most of the season and at some point in December were 13 points ahead of Sundowns.

2. Losing to minnows TS Galaxy in the Nedbank Cup final

That humiliation of losing a major cup final to a lower league team was another of Middendorp’s disasters at Chiefs last year for which many felt he should have been sacked then. No one saw that defeat coming, especially with Chiefs looking to end their four-year trophy drought. But Middendorp will now be remembered as a Premiership coach who lost a final to an NFD side.

3. Chiefs finishing ninth last season

Middendorp could argue that it was already too late when he took over from Giovanni Solinas last season, but he had enough time to steer Chiefs to a better finish on the log standings. He replaced

Solinas in December 2018 and oversaw 16 matches with five wins, six draws and five defeats as the club went on to finish ninth with 39 points and miss out on the MTN8.

4. AmaZulu winning against Chiefs for the first time in 13 years

That 1-0 win for AmaZulu at FNB Stadium in March was just their third against Chiefs in the PSL era, and first since 2007. The defeat contributed hugely to Chiefs missing out on the title.