The race for the 2011/12 Premier Soccer League halfway
through gets underway tonight after some long break. Nothing has been won at
this stage but there is so much to lose especially if you keep dropping points.
A close look at how the 16 teams have fared up to this stage; who is likely to
be crowned champions, who will be in the top 8 and who will be relegated?
The Pace Setters
Judging by the current log standings everyone in the top
4 has a chance to win the league. Mamelodi Sundowns, SuperSport United, Kaizer
Chiefs and Moroka Swallows are all looking like genuine title contenders.
League leaders Sundowns have won 9 games finding the back of the net 30 times,
that’s a strike rate of 2 goals per match and losing twice in the process.
Expect the Brazilians to have a say in the title contention.
Prior to the last games before the Christmas break,
SuperSport United were sitting on top but they dropped to 2nd spot
when they lost to Bloemfontein Celtic. Gavin Hunt has emphasised the importance
of collecting points in the 1st round because teams are hard to beat
in the 2nd round. Having accumulated 28 points from a possible 45
Amatsantsatsa are second on the log and anything is possible for them.
Chiefs have already failed to win the MTN8 and Telkom
Knockout, the pressure is now on Vladimir Vermezovic who is now serving his
final season on his contract to turn things around and lead them to league
honours. Amakhosi are one of the two teams to have conceded the least number of
goals in the division. Their strikers have been a let-down but having acquired
the services Zimbabwean striker Brian Amidu they will be hoping he will give
them the edge to go all the way out and lift the title.
At Swallows Gordon Igesund has managed to turn things
around compared to last season when they were relegation candidates. They maybe
5 points off the pace but they are still in title contention. However Igesund
still has work to do with his defence having conceded 18 goals in 15 matches.
Completing the Top 8
Completing the top 8 are Orlando Pirates, Free State
Stars, Ajax Cape Town and Bidvest Wits. They are still in the race because the
gap between them and the log leaders hasn’t widened that much, they can still
catch up. If any of the top 4 teams drop points in their next two encounters
and in the process these teams completing the top 8 win their games they will
find themselves in the top 4 challenging for the championship.
Orlando Pirates have played well in the cup competitions
but they haven’t managed to live up to expectations in the league games.
Already 7 points off the pace setters the Bucs will have to pull up their socks
if they want to defend their title. Some of their acquisitions such as Sifiso
Myeni and Luis Boa Morte will certainly add depth and quality into their squad.
After surrendering the title to the Sea Robbers on the
final day of last season, one would have thought that the Urban Warriors will
continue where they left off but it has been a tough ride for the Cape side.
One of their star players in the previous campaign (Thulani Serero) having been
sold to Ajax Amsterdam things haven’t been the same for the Cape Side. The
Urban Warriors have conceded more goals than they have scored which is a
worrying factor.
Free State Stars and Wits are in the top 8 because they
have also done well for their standards. Their objectives might not be winning
the league but in football anything is possible if they keep playing well
nevertheless only time will tell whether they are up for the challenge or not. Let’s hope Africa Cup of Nations winner
Kennedy Mweene will bring new optimism and inspiration.
Position 9 to 12
Bloemfontein Celtic, AmaZulu, Maritzburg United and
Golden Arrows are occupying 9 to 12 spots on the league table.
Sometimes you wonder about the objectives of some of the clubs that are
campaigning in the PSL. Not to be disrespectful, some of the teams are not PSL
material and the value they are adding has to be questioned.
Maritzburg United and Golden Arrows are some of the teams
that have more goals conceded than they have scored with both of them having
only managed to collect maximum points on only four occasions and each scoring
16 times after 15 games. The team of choice have a goal difference of -5 on the
other hand Abafana bes’thende they have a goal difference of -9.
Relegation Candidates
If there is one area that our league hasn’t stepped its authority
it has to be the relegation system. This is one of the reason why our league
isn’t competitive hence the goal drought. The current system which sees only
one automatic drop isn’t helping our league at all. If the last two teams at
the end of the season are automatically dropped and those occupying 13 and 14
spots go into the play offs then we might see competition in our league.
At the moment all those teams in the bottom 4 have been
nothing but dismal. However knowing well the chances of escaping the relegation
are high because the league isn’t tough enough they won’t pull up their socks. Jomo
Cosmos and Black Leopards are the favourites for the drop with the latter
winning only two games. They have fired the coach who brought them to the elite
league and last season going as far as reaching the Nedbank Cup final. Time and
again we have seen this trend of teams coming from the first division firing
the coach when they get in the PSL only for their decisions to back fire at a
later stage.
On the other hand
Cosmos midway through to the season have registered one win since they came
back from the National First Division. Ezenkosi have managed to find the back
of the net on 12 occasions. It’s hard to imagine how they will survive. Maybe
it is time for Jomo Sono to get someone do the coaching job for him.
With 15 games left and 45 points to play for nothing is
out of reach for all the teams to get better as the season progress. There is
still a chance to win the league for some, while others can still finish in the
top 8 and those who face the chop can still escape. All shall be revealed when
the league resumes tonight.
By Terence Mthembu
Tweet Terence - @Terrypedia
