Experienced coach Dan Malesela has sounded the alarm over what he views as a nervous start to the 2026/27 season, with Betway Premiership clubs hesitating to loosen up for fear of making mistakes.
Some South African top-tier clubs are six games into the season, combining the Betway Premiership and MTN8 matches they have played so far. It is a term in which Orlando Pirates are bidding to reclaim the league title while others are looking to wrestle it away from them.
While the league race is yet to shape up in this early stage of the campaign, the Buccaneers have already taken the lead. Just three games into the Betway Premiership, all 16 teams have dropped points, with no side enjoying a 100 percent record.
There is also the Carling Knockout and Nedbank Cup to play for. Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns return to the CAF Champions League, as Kaizer Chiefs and Durban City FC will be participating in the CAF Confederation Cup.
But in these early days of the campaign, Malesela has noted an edgy start, which he says could be due to a few factors.
DAN MALESELA’S REASONS WHY BETWAY PREMIERSHIP CLUBS ARE TENSE
In his early-season verdict, Malesela told FARPost that intense pre-season training might have made some players stiff. Without mentioning clubs and specific players, he has also noted some panic and “a lot of technical errors.”
“It’s the same situation with everybody. Some clubs, even those winning, look like they probably overtrained during pre-season because some players look stiff,” Malesela said in an interview with FARPost.
“From what I have seen so far, it’s more like people have overtrained, something like that. It looks like there is a lot of panic within the players because when the season starts, players get worried about getting positions in the squad to play.
“Obviously that makes them tense, to say, ‘I don’t want to be substituted.’ There are a whole lot of mistakes to make. At all the clubs, there are a lot of technical errors. Those either come from stiffness or panic.
“So, I wouldn’t direct this tension to one club because it’s a general thing affecting all clubs. Either there is a lot of panic to impress, or it’s stiffness from training. I cannot conclusively say it’s stiffness because I don’t know how these clubs trained. Maybe as games go on, people will start loosening up, and we get good football.”
THE DANGERS OF AN ANXIOUS START TO THE SEASON, ACCORDING TO MALESELA
The former Chippa United coach also warned that a cautious approach could prove costly, as some clubs risk letting an anxious start spiral into a season-long crisis.
“I think it will change once players loosen up a bit or ease up into the season. But that’s circumstantial because the danger with overtraining sometimes is that it may disturb you for the whole season,” continued Malesela, who has also previously coached Marumo Gallants FC.
“Now you don’t have time for recovery, so that’s why I’m saying it’s very circumstantial. Let’s see what comes up. It should be a concern because it can be a long-term thing, or players will start adjusting.
“That’s why I’m saying it’s circumstantial. It depends from club to club, whether you identify this thing or not. If you don’t, it might even get worse. So, it’s a worrying situation for coaches to say…”
However, with the PSL transfer window still open, some teams might beef up their squads after identifying areas of need to improve.
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