Kaizer Chiefs might have got the monkey off their backs at the weekend as they secured their first victory of the new season, but they remain in a delicate situation as they build towards this weekend.
Amakhosi scored a stoppage-time winner against Cape Town City through new arrival Edson Castillo to book their place in the semi-finals of the MTN8, a relief for the club and the new man at the helm.
Head coach Molefi Ntseki remains on a precarious standing with the club’s supporters after a rough pre-season and under-par showings in the Premiership after two matches.
However, Chiefs’ recent dose of positivity may signal a turnaround in fortunes ahead of the rest of the season.
Before their away win against the Citizens, Chiefs had not won any of their last six competitive matches.
Next on the Glamour Boys’ agenda is the tricky prospect of a trip to Mbombela Stadium on Sunday to face TS Galaxy, a club they haven’t beaten in two years.
The Rockets have been labelled as somewhat of a ‘bogey’ team for Chiefs in the past, having captured their only trophy against the mighty Amakhosi back in 2019 when they were still playing in the second tier.
Since then, the two sides have met seven more times, each grabbing a single win with the other five ties ending in stalemate.
Galaxy coach Sead Ramovic ensured that his side opened their 2023/24 campaign in satisfactory style as they have grabbed four out of a possible six points in their first two matches.
Having lost several vital cogs in their squad, the Mpumalanga club have seemingly moved on swiftly with the likes of Bernard Parker and Thamsanqa Gabuza adding valuable experience.
In Naturena, Amakhosi are absorbing every bit of the energy emanating from the arrival of Venezuelan midfielder Castillo. The 29-year-old has played all three matches for Chiefs this season and has been the standout performer, with Ashley du Preez running him close.
Ntseki has been impressed but also feels the midfielder is yet to reach his full potential in his Chiefs side.
“I think he’s bringing that to the team. By the way, it is only his third game in South Africa, and there is still more to come from him because he appears to be a very intelligent midfielder,” he said of Castillo.
“In terms of the pace (of the game), I think also he still needs to adjust to the weather conditions in South Africa and also the understanding of the type of opponents we play against.”
@ScribeSmiso