Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane may have convinced himself that this season has not been entirely bad, but a deeper look into the campaign shows that the Soweto giants are on shaky ground and there has actually been no improvement from the side.
After succumbing to a record 11th defeat this season over the weekend in Rustenburg, fourth-placed Amakhosi are closer to bottom of the table Maritzburg United, than they are to log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns. With one match to play in the season and confirmation that they cannot qualify for continental club football next season, Amakhosi are 15 points ahead of Maritzburg and 25 behind Sundowns.
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Last season, the Soweto giants finished 18 points behind league winners Sundowns. This season, the difference between Chiefs and Sundowns is guaranteed to be more than it was last term, which shows that there has been no improvement in terms of points collected. They finished the 2021/22 campaign on 47 points. Amakhosi have not gone beyond 50 points in a season since 2019/20, when they lost the league title to Sundowns on the final day of the campaign.
Soccer Laduma looks at the numbers which show that there has been little to no difference under the tutelage of Zwane this season.
HOME RECORD
Home is where clubs enjoy recording their most victories, but that has not been the case for Chiefs this season. As a team wanting to challenge for honours, Amakhosi were nowhere near good enough at home. Up to now, they have played 14 matches at home and they an uninspiring six victories. Seven victories this season have come away from home. Last season, Chiefs recorded six home wins in 15 matches and had seven away victories. They have a chance to beat last season's record of six home wins when they host Cape Town City on the final day of the season this weekend. A victory over the Citizens would take it to seven wins, but that wouldn't be much of an improvement from last season.
GOALS CONCEDED
Last season, Amakhosi conceded 26 goals in 30 matches and they have gone past that this term in 29 matches. They have let in 32 goals with one more match to go this season. When it comes to clean sheets, Amakhosi are currently on 10 this season, compared to the 11 of 2021/22. Five of the 10 clean sheets this season have been kept at home. This season, Zwane's men suffered two 4-0 defeats - against Sundowns and AmaZulu. Last season, they conceded four goals in a game just once, in a 4-1 defeat to Royal AM.
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GOALS SCORED
Last season Amakhosi finished the campaign on 34 goals and they are two shy of that tally with one more match to play this season, against City. They, at least, have an opportunity to improve on that tally, which is one of the few reasons they can look on the positive side.
CUP COMPETITIONS
In cup competitions, Amakhosi went further. Last season they were knocked out in the first round of the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup, but managed to get to the semi-finals of both competitions this term.
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