It's only natural that when the wheels start coming off for the defending league champions, they're set to be viewed under the magnifying glass.
So with Kaizer Chiefs knocked out of yet another cup, and with cup opportunities quickly running out, there is obvious concern among the Amakhosi faithful. The loss at the beginning of the month against a struggling Ajax Cape Town team was also not well received and despite being just five points adrift of league leaders Sundowns, many fans are already pressing panic buttons.
But is the vitriol from fans misdirected? Are comments appearing on the Soccer-Laduma website purely emotional and the backlash of a cup defeat or is there substance to what they are saying?
At Soccer-Laduma we have a belief, and it's one that ensures we take every complaint about Soccer-Laduma from a reader very seriously. Our belief is that every soccer fan in this country has a PHD in football. Doesn't matter if you are a petrol attendant, a bank manager, a doctor or a lawyer, when it comes to football opinions, there is no pecking order - every reader is right. And you don't have to have played the game at the highest level for your opinions and observations to be validated or to carry weight. There are enough top coaches and managers in world football with little to no playing experience that will back that up.
So let's take a look at the concerns. There are two main themes…
The first is that many fans think Baxter has become too defensive in his approach. Which goes against the Chiefs philosophy historically, and does not resonate with South African football fans in general. A Soccer-Laduma website reader who goes by the name 'redbull', after reading that Baxter takes responsibility for the inconsistent results said, "Taking the blame for playing 8-1-1! Your joking Baxteena you've run out of ideas my friend Mulomowendoda now a striker, it doesn't rain but pours at nazoorena!"
So has Baxter gone too defensive? I know in this office it has been debated as to whether Chiefs play three at the back and five in midfield, or whether they play five at the back and three in midfield. Add to that the fact that Willard Katsande is essentially a sweeper playing in front of the back line and if you put Yeye into the same midfield you're really just adding more steel as opposed to attacking nous, and maybe the fans have a point that Chiefs do look a little bit too defensive this season.
Baxter may argue that they have the second best defensive record after Wits and so the approach is paying off. But when you consider top of the table Sundowns have only one more goal against than Chiefs but more than double the amount of goals for, then possibly you need to start asking questions. In fact, even Swallows and SuperSport have six more goals on the charts than Chiefs and when you have the likes of Bernard Parker, Knowledge Musona, Lehlohonolo Majoro, Kingston Nkhatha and Siphiwe Tshabalala in your team, that's just not good enough.
Secondly, there seems to be another train of thought that teams have figured Kaizer Chiefs and Baxter out. That not only do they know the tactics that will be employed, but they know which players will be used to carry them out.
A Soccer-Laduma web reader who goes by Malaza55 says, "PSL teams already know which squad Baxter is gonna select and know even when players are subbed who they are gonna be and who their replacements will be. Our coach is Mr Predictable."
Now in Baxter's defence, he has one of the thinnest squads of all the title contenders and so there isn't much room to manoeuvre. But when it comes to playing style, they may have a point. Last season saw Baxter's team play some scintillating football. Structured, disciplined and effective. And one may argue that the best teams in the world beat teams despite those teams knowing what is coming at them. But football has changed. With the help of advanced and detailed analysis of playing patterns and numbers, opposition coaches now have the tools at hand to work you out and, as Bafana showed against Spain, the right game plan will beat even the best opponents. Maybe it's time for Baxter and his technical team to start anticipating that opponents have their 'playbook' and start changing it up at times. There are enough players in the Chiefs squad to keep opposition teams guessing about who is going to play and to vary how Chiefs set out their stall in each game.
Now one win for Chiefs, and all may be forgiven and forgotten. But I'm with the readers on this one. Unless Chiefs are able to make the subtle adjustments to the way they play that nullify their opponents' plans to stop them, and unless the Chiefs squad is strengthened so as to give Baxter options in terms of team selection, this season could become a very long one for the Amakhosi supporters.
Shapa, Clint!
