Former Kaizer Chiefs defender Fabian McCarthy has watered down talk that the Soweto giants are Betway Premiership title contenders.
Since being crowned the 2014/15 season Premiership champions, Amakhosi have struggled to win the biggest piece of silverware in South African football. Over the years, they have watched Mamelodi Sundowns reign supreme with eight consecutive league titles.
Besides battling to win the league, Chiefs’ struggles worsened as they failed to finish the last two seasons in the top-eight, missing out on the MTN8.
But after assessing how Amakhosi have fared so far this season, McCarthy is convinced they will be one of the four best teams in the title race. He, however, does not see the Glamour boys as candidates to be champions.
The Soweto ginats have signed top talents such Lebo Maboe, Khanyisa Mayo, Paseka Mako, Etiosa Ighodaro, Thabiso Monyane, Luke Baartman, Asanele Velebayi, Ethan Chislett, Flávio Silva and Nkanyiso Shinga.
WHAT IS THE MOST REALISTIC PREDICTION FOR CHIEFS?
“Definitely a top-four finish for Chiefs, we can just predict that, also with the signings Chiefs made they look very promising, they started well,” McCarthy told FARPost.
“Let’s not go to them losing two game or so. It has to happen because some teams pick up during the break, some teams are consistent and others are going to get a knock here and there. I think it’s good that it happened now so that the planning and also, maybe going forward better preparations for the upcoming games.
“I definitely see Chiefs finishing in the top-four and not putting them under pressure or throwing them under the bus or being unrealistic but they are also a team that will try and challenge Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns. We see Sekhukhune United are also there.
“If they go down or lose games fighting, that’s acceptable, you cannot win them all. They are still going to lose three or four more games but let us see them fighting and wanting to do well,” added the Amakhosi legend.
“I think it’s time this season where they definitely are going to finish in the top-four. Let us not talk about the league because you don’t want to put them under too much pressure but one game at a time, it will come. But definitely top-four and Chiefs will be there in the MTN8 next season.”
KAIZER CHIEFS CRUMBLING AFTER A BRIGHT START TO THE SEASON
After Chiefs went unbeaten in their first five league games, without conceding a goal, they were being mentioned as genuine contenders for the PSL crown.
But the manner in which they lost 3-1 to Sekhukhune United last week in the league, as well as the 1-0 defeat to Kabuscorp in a CAF Confederation Cup tie over the weekend has left questions around Amakhosi’s title credentials.
A coaching situation at Naturena also threatens to derail Chiefs’ promising start to the season as coach Nasreddine Nabi is on his way out of the club.
However, after winning the Nedbank Cup last season, ending a 10-year trophy drought, that might motivate Chiefs for this term.
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