Chiefs on a KZN mission
George Maluleka is one of those in the current Kaizer Chiefs squad who has been around long enough to know what it feels like to lift the Absa Premiership trophy with Amakhosi.
The talented midfielder was a regular member of the team under Stuart Baxter, when Chiefs last lifted the trophy in 2015, in what was Maluleka’s first full season with Chiefs after joining in January 2014.
Now 30, Maluleka has seen enough in Chiefs’ storming start to the current campaign under Ernst Middendorp – Chiefs are ten points clear at the top of the table as they prepare to take on Bloemfontein Celtic tomorrow – to recognise similarities as Chiefs bid to end their trophy drought.
Chiefs have left the rest in their wake so far, and won Q1 at a canter, guaranteed to top the table whatever happens in their next two games ahead of the Christmas break.
“It is very important to start off on a good note and winning Q1 is a good confidence-booster,” said Maluleka at the Chiefs Village yesterday.
“It makes the guys want it even more, and it puts you in a position where you stand a chance of winning the league … we are taking it one game at a time, and the process starts (again) with Celtic.
“There are a lot of similarities (with 2014/15), if you look at the scorelines we have won games 1-0 or 2-1, but we have been able to contain our opponents, clean sheets are an important factor, they always say defenders win championships, we have tried to work on that … so far, so good.”
Chiefs have kept clean sheets, indeed, in six of their last seven league matches, but will have to be at their best against a Celtic side who are an impressive fifth in the table, even althouh they are 14 points behind Chiefs.
“We have seen a couple of clips of them and have worked on a couple of things to destabilise them … they are playing very good football and have ways of trying to get at their opponents, so it will be difficult to contain them, but … I am positive we can come out with a positive result,” added Maluleka, who played down rumours linking him with a move overseas.
“I have been hearing rumours, but ... if the club hasn’t spoken to Chiefs, there is not a link. I have a contract at Chiefs and am here to honour it.”