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Bidvest Wits are no more, while the Chiefs, SuperSport and Cape Town City don’t seem to have enough depth for a sustained challenge.
At this early stage of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) season, it’s hard to see other Orlando Pirates challenging Mamelodi Sundowns’ domestic league dominance.
Sundowns may have lost points over the weekend in a 1-1 draw against Maritzburg United, but it was more of a momentary flash than a drop in form, and Maritzburg, desperate for points with new coach Ernst Middendorp, had a very lively performance. Sundowns could and should have won if he had been more clinical.
And when you look at the options that Brazilians have throughout the park in all positions, they surely remain clear favorites to defend their league title.
For the past ten years, the top five or six of South African soccer have been made up of the ‘big three’: Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs and Pirates, along with SuperSport United, Bidvest Wits and, most recently, Cape Town.
These are the teams that are expected to win trophies and fight for league honors, which has been the case, although Chiefs and Pirates have not won major honors in the last five and six years.
Now, however, in this strange year that has been 2020, the playing field seems to have changed again.
For starters, Bidvest Wits no longer exists; a year before its 100th birthday, the Johannesburg club sold its status to the Limpopo TTM team.
Then there is SuperSport and Cape Town City, two clubs that have been regularly in cup finals in recent years.
However, three-time league winners SuperSport are apparently in a transition phase and have sold and let go of some seasoned stars and instead put their faith in younger, less tested players.
City have also lost a point man to Kermit Erasmus and despite their excellent track record promoting local talent, they just don’t seem to have enough genuine quality and depth in their squad to compete for the league.
Looking at the Chiefs, they are suffering under FIFA’s transfer ban and have had a pretty poor start to the new season. They can’t seem to score goals and have already lost their rhythm and are down to 13th place in the league table.
As things stand now, after another stuttering performance last weekend at the Caf Confederation Cup, Amakhosi may do well even to achieve a top four result in the league.
It really looks like it could be left to the Pirates to prevent Sundowns from turning it into four PSL titles in a row, and 11 in total.
That’s in regards to a team like Swallows FC, which is flying high in second place right now. However, the Birds’ success has largely been based on an outstanding defensive record and they don’t seem to have enough genuine firepower in their ranks to sustain a challenge throughout a 30-game season.
Like the Sundowns, and unlike many of the other teams in the league, the Pirates have made some excellent signings and have a solid team. The Bucs aren’t firing full steam just yet, but there are signs they’re ready to hit the ground running once a few things are sorted out, and the return from injuries shortly from players like Gabadinho Mhango and Thembinkosi Lorch will be a huge boost.
Like the Sundowns, the Sea Robbers seem to have a lot of game-breaking players and X-factor players and it would be surprising if they didn’t at least push for a second place, and with a little luck and momentum, maybe even challenge. the Sundowns to the end.
