05 August 2019, by: Thabang Kgeledi
PSL TALKING POINTS – MATCHDAY 1
After an agonizing 84 days (12 weeks or 2 months & 23 days) of waiting, we now have something to look forward to on weekends. The Absa Premiership is back! It’s back with its customary breakneck speed football, interesting goal celebrations and, *hands on head “I can’t believe he missed that” moments.
It’s never wise to make judgements after only one game but we will go ahead and do it anyway because it wouldn’t be any fun if we didn’t. Here are 5 takeaways from the opening weekend in the PSL:
Mamelodi Sundowns kicked their PSL campaign off with a 2-0 win against Supersport United in the Tswane derby on Saturday afternoon. Downs looked a bit rusty but still controlled most of the game. Later that day, Orlando Pirates won their first match 3-1 against Bloemfontein Celtics. Phunya Sele Sele didn’t make this game a walkover but the Buccaneers did enough without getting out of third gear.
Sundowns and Pirates made up the top two of the PSL in the past two seasons, with Sundowns finishing ahead of Pirates on both occasions. Both teams’ quality and depth are superior to the rest of the league.
I mean, Downs started without one our league’s best-attacking midfielders Gastón Sirino and Pirates were without the 2018/19 Absa Premiership Footballer of the Season and Player’s Player of the Season Thembinkosi Lorch due to injury. It may be too premature to call this a two-horse race already but it probably is.
Bidvest Wits torched Amazulu 3-0 in their first game at the King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday night. Wits were better in every aspect of the game. A goalkeeping error by Moneeb Josephs for Wits’ second goal didn’t help Amazulu’s cause but they were outmatched anyway.
Gavin Hunt’s men started their 2018/19 campaign off well but, draws and losses at key moments in the season cost them the title. Let’s not forget Gavin Hunt is a four-time league champion, that’s more than any other coach in the league. The guy knows what he is doing.
I wonder how it has felt being a Kaizer Chiefs supporter for the past 3 years. I’d need medication to cure what they are going through. If you thought this season was going to get better.. Well, I got bad news for you – it isn’t. Kaizer Chiefs began their PSL campaign with a thrilling 3-2 win against Highlands Park on Sunday afternoon. The positives are: they got the three points, the negatives are: pretty much everything else.
Defensive mistakes, not enough clear cut chances being created, and their goalkeeper who is a catastrophe waiting to happen are all but a few problems Kaizer Chiefs need to solve. A late goal from, of all people, Eric Mathoho, saved their necks – Highlands Park didn’t deserve to lose that game.
I hate to be a fearmonger to Kaizer Chiefs supporters but if I were them I’d be afraid, VERY AFRAID.
We got our first site at the newly promoted Stellenbosch FC over the weekend and they look good. Well, good enough to earn them a draw in their first-ever game against PSL opposition in Chippa United. They didn’t do much in an attacking sense but they defended diligently enough to deserve their point.
The PSL is back and as you should know by now it’s one of the most exciting and most balanced leagues in the world. Other than maybe the top 4 (Cape Town City, Wits, Pirates, and Sundown sorry Kaizer Chiefs supporters but you finished 9th last season) the league is wide open for top 8 spots and relegation.
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