There was a time when the Chiefs vs Pirates derby was the highlight of the football season. Now it barely matters that Orlando Pirates defenders and error-prone goalkeeper Moeneeb Josephs have recently begun falling asleep towards the end of the game and conceding soft late goals.
If this trend continues it might once again cost the Buccaneers valuable points when they take on Kaizer Chiefs in the not-so-much-anticipated Absa Premiership Soweto derby.
Pirates, who are languishing in the 10th position on the log, have managed to win only two of seven matches. In their three most recent games — including last weekend’s Telkom Knockout clash against Moroka Swallows — Pirates have conceded four silly goals towards the end against Santos, Free State and Swallows.
Against Swallows, football lovers pointed fingers at Josephs, commonly known as ‘slim katâ€, but the nickname is slowly fading away after his constant mistakes. He was beaten from a long way out by a Ronaldo-esque free kick and fumbled a tame shot into his own net in the 90th minute. A national team goalkeeper of his calibre should have stopped the shots, but Pirates still won 3-2 after leading 3-0.
Former Chiefs and Pirates striker Marks Maponyane is wondering if Pirates are even working on the problem. ‘Lightning cannot strike a person twice in a day. The mistakes that the Pirates defence and goalkeeper make are consistent. Many would be asking why Senzo
Meyiwa is not getting a chance ahead of Josephs; maybe the coach feels that he is not ready to play. But this is discouraging to the youngster, who might feel overlooked when even the number-one keeper makes mistakes.
‘These are such things I would capitalise on when I was still a striker. When a defender or keeper makes a mistake you should use the opportunity to punish them. I’m not sure if Chiefs, on the other hand, would capitalise on that because they have players who miss good scoring opportunities,†said Maponyane.
Pirates’s mistakes have overshadowed the hard work always put in by speedy wingers Thulasizwe Mbuyane and Dikgang Mabalane, who might be a threat.
Chiefs thought they had picked themselves up but have to date had their worst start to the season. Amakhosi have won four of their premiership encounters, but have also lost three — to Thanda Royal Zulu, Maritzburg United and Swallows. Yet they did look impressive in their last three wins against Bloemfontein Celtic, AmaZulu and SuperSport United.
Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, who at the beginning of the season also conceded silly goals, has redeemed himself by keeping a clean sheet in the last three matches and making some good saves.
The Amakhosi defence is also not something to write home about. It has been caught napping at times and has conceded seven goals in the league so far. Former Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Patson Banda says both teams are bound to make mistakes because of their high player turnover.
‘Chiefs and Pirates don’t keep their players for a long time — they have a pool of players who they offload every season. Players have to adjust constantly to playing with new teammates. This is not the case with teams like Golden Arrows, who keep most of their players so they can build a strong, competitive team.
‘These teams now beat Chiefs and Pirates and always capitalise on the mistakes they make and the same goes for Saturday — whoever takes his chances will win,†he said.
Coming into the Soweto derby Chiefs have an upper hand over Pirates. Since the launch of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) in 1996, Chiefs have won seven of the 24 encounters. Pirates have won five, with the last win coming in 2004. Twelve matches have ended in draws.
The Mmabatho stadium in Mafikeng might be packed on Saturday, but football lovers have lost interest in the Soweto derby. It is believed that close to 20 000 tickets were still available on Tuesday afternoon. ‘I just laughed when I heard that there are still 20 000 tickets left. Fans are no longer interested, as both Chiefs and Pirates are vulnerable. They have become ordinary teams — any team can beat them now,†said Maponyane, who believes that players lack commitment, passion and enjoyment.
Banda echoes these sentiments: ‘Our players are not as passionate as they used to be. The teams are playing only for pride and nothing else. Such derbies should be brought back to Orlando stadium so it creates the spark that it used to have.â€
Both teams owe it to their faithful supporters to bring back the passion the Soweto derby had in the days when people would go on a hunger strike because their team lost. But maybe Josephs and his defence can still prove their critics wrong. He will undergo medical tests after he was taken off the field on a stretcher on Wednesday night after colliding with a Platinum Stars player.