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The only reliable source of goals for the Soweto giants at the moment appears to be the corners of Khama Billiat
It is a troubled Kaizer Chiefs team preparing to battle the relatively unknown Cameroonian team PWD Bamenda in two upcoming Caf Champions League preliminary qualifying matches.
The first match is Sunday afternoon, away from home for Amakhosi at the Stade Omnisport de Limbe in Limbe, Cameroon.
The second leg will be on Friday, December 4 at the FNB Stadium in Soweto.
Who would want to be Chiefs coach Gavin Hunt right now? The four-time league-winning coach’s dream of working for South Africa’s most popular team is fast turning into a nightmare and he has won just two of eight matches, and his troubles are compounded by the club’s transfer ban.
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It’s also hard to know whether Hunt will approach the Champions League as a welcome distraction, or another potential hurdle, and a long trip to West Africa.
The change of scenery and competition could be what the Chiefs need right now. But again, a preliminary stage exit would also be an embarrassment for the club.
It could also be suggested that Hunt could try to mix things up, include some youngsters and give some fringe players a chance. But he already did that in the South African league and cup, having changed and changed his team a lot, for a variety of reasons: injuries, suspensions and poor form.
And to put it bluntly, he has problems to fix throughout the park. There have been numerous defensive mistakes this season, the last one in midweek when both Chiefs full-backs were exposed and Swallows FC was able to score a goal goal in the 86th minute at Dobsonville.
At the opposite end of the field there is also a rather alarming statistic, as the Glamor Boys have in eight games, more than 720 minutes of football, scored only once since open play.
That’s when Lebogang Manyama teamed up with Khama Billiat to deliver the first blow to Leonardo Castro in Amakhosi’s 2-2 draw with the Golden Arrows last weekend.
Apart from that, they have only scored another three goals, and they were all dead ball situations or more specifically Billiat’s corner; from where Castro scored a header off Arrows and defender Yagan Sasman scored twice in the MTN8 quarterfinals against Maritzburg United.
The fact that bosses don’t score in the open game should be worrisome and suggests a lack of fluidity, that players aren’t on the same page as everyone else, and confidence and form are down.
It’s something they’ll work hard to correct, although at this point, Hunt would likely take a 0-0 draw on Sunday and try to finish the job at home next week against the unknown entity that is PWD Bamenda.
Perhaps with a few wins, confidence will start to build and goals will finally start to flow from players like Billiat and Manyama.
