Sundowns rule again but Bucs encouraged by two cups

Mamelodi Sundowns winning what was their sixth league title on the trot with a record seven games to spare, while the runners-up, Orlando Pirates, eventually finished 16 points behind proved once again that they’re peerless in the championship but at the same time the Buccaneers’ two-cup triumph was also gigantic in its own right.

These are some of the big takeaways from the just-ended campaign.

Sihle Ndebele and Neville Khoza look back on how each team fared in the recently concluded campaign, where over 20 youngsters not older than 21 were given their senior debuts.

AmaZulu

Finished: 12th

Last season: 7th

MTN8: runners-up

Nedbank Cup: second round

Apart from reaching the MTN8 final, where they lost to Orlando Pirates, AmaZulu had a poor season. Usuthu were just unstable, making three coaching changes. Brandon Truter started the season but was dismissed nine games into the campaign. Romain Folz replaced him but the situation didn’t improve, prompting the hierarchy to replace him with Ayanda Dlamini. Usuthu’s Nedbank Cup second round elimination by third-tier Dondol Stars summed up their mediocre campaign. 

Rating: 4/10

Cape Town City

Finished: 4th

Last season: 2nd

MTN8: semifinals

Nedbank Cup: first round  

CAF Champions League: second prelim round

CAF Confed Cup: play-offs

Following their slow start to the season, where they lost their opening three matches, the Citizens somewhat managed to redeem themselves, albeit they were not consistent for the better part of the term. City woke up towards the end of the campaign as they pushed to finish in the top four, achieving that feat by beating Kaizer Chiefs on the final day. Striker Khanyisa Mayo was their most outstanding player, winning the Golden Boot alongside Mamelodi Sundowns’ Peter Shalulile after scoring 12 goals apiece.

Rating: 6/10

Chippa United

Finished: 14th

Last season: 14th

Nedbank Cup: quarterfinals

It was the same old story of coaches merry-go-round at Chippa with five men in Daine Klate, Morgan Mammila, Kurt Lentjies, Siyabulela Gwambi and Lehlohonolo Seema. This, again, brought about instability at the Gqeberha-based side. To their credit, Chippa managed to reach the last eight of the Nedbank Cup but their league campaign was a disaster, needing the last game of the season, which they drew at home to Golden Arrows, to guarantee safety.

Rating: 3/10

Golden Arrows  

Finished: 9th

Last season: 9th

Nedbank Cup: second round

It was another poor season for Arrows as they missed out on the top eight again, finishing ninth in successive seasons. They started the season on a poor note, losing their two opening matches but recovered during the season although they failed to keep consistency. It was only once this season that Arrows won two successive matches, beating AmaZulu and Chippa late August and early September.

Rating: 4/10

Kaizer Chiefs

Finished: 5th

Last season: 5th

MTN8: semifinals

Nedbank Cup: semifinals

Losing 12 league games, the most they’ve suffered in a single season, summed up Chiefs’ poor campaign under club legend Arthur Zwane. Amakhosi had a chaotic season, where defensive errors were a regular feature. Failing to win any silverware meant their trophy drought stretches to a ninth year. Many Chiefs fans have since called on the club to fire Zwane ahead of the new season but indications are that he’ll stay put, having penned a three-year deal.

Rating: 4/10

Mamelodi Sundowns

Finished: champions

Last season: champions

MTN8: semifinals  

Nedbank Cup: quarterfinals

CAF Champions League: semifinals

Sundowns may have failed to defend their two cups in the MTN8 and the Nedbank Cup but they were outstanding again in the DStv Premiership. Since Rulani Mokwena was named the sole head coach in November, he never lost a league match, winning 14 and drawing six as they went on to clinch their sixth consecutive domestic title with seven games to spare, the earliest title triumph in the PSL history.

Rating: 8/10

Maritzburg United

Finished: 15th

Last season: 12th

Nedbank Cup: first round

Maritzburg had another season to forget. The Team of Choice's are currently participating in the play-offs. Porous defence proved Maritzburg's major downfall this season as they leaked a whopping 40 goals, the second most in the division behind Chippa, who conceded four more. They never had the outright No.1  keeper with King Ndlovu and Renald Leaner alternating in goal.

Rating: 2/10

Marumo Gallants  

Finished: 16th

Last season: 10th

Nedbank Cup: second round

CAF Confed Cup: semifinals

Gallants will look back at  their participation in the CAF Confederation Cup as one of the reasons they were demoted automatically. They were only eliminated from the Confed Cup in the semifinals but the traveling was always exacting and it strained them, given their thin squad. The departure of Miguel Timm and Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo to Orlando Pirates also made matters worse as they struggled to replace them.

Unknown Romain Folz was appointed at the beginning and didn’t win a match in five attempts, before he was replaced by Dan Malesela, who also struggled and lost six before he was dismissed. Dylan Kerr and Raymond Mdaka took over but it was a bit too late to save them.

Rating: 2/10

Orlando Pirates

Finished: 2nd

Last season: 6th

MTN8: champions

Nedbank Cup: champions

Pirates had a near-perfect campaign under Spanish coach Jose Riveiro in his maiden season in the country. From failing to score a second-half goal in the league the entire first round of the season, Pirates had a strong finish. The Buccaneers’ brilliant season saw them win two cups in the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup.

Pirates’ minor undoing was conceding at the later stages of matches to end up drawing unnecessarily and if they fix this next season, they can give perennial champions Mamelodi Sundowns a good run for their money in the 2023/24 term. As successful as they were, Pirates still had the guts to give 17-year-old development graduate Relebohile Ratomo some game time.

Rating: 8/10

Richards Bay

Finished: 13th

Last season: Motsepe Foundation Championship Champions

Nedbank Cup: First round  

The DStv Premiership newbies had an excellent run in the first round and at some point, they were a few points behind leaders Sundowns. But they collapsed in the second-half as they finished without a win this year in 16 matches, losing 12 and drawing four. Dismantling the co-coaches system in March, where Vasili Manousakis was named the sole head coach also didn’t improve the situation, but the good thing for them is that they collected points earlier in the season which helped them to survive. Perhaps the passing of their skipper Siphamandla Mtolo had a psychological factor.

Rating: 4/10

Royal AM

Finished: 11th

Last season: 3rd

MTN8: first round

Nedbank Cup: Quarterfinals

Royal had a very average season. Thwihli Thwahla were never consistent. At some stage, they looked like they would finish inside the top eight while at another, they were also relegation candidates. The co-coaching arrangement that saw Dan Malesela, Khabo Zondo and Abram Nteo lead the side at the start of the season seemed to be the source of their struggles. The team never clicked until they parted ways with Malesela and dismantled the group coaching format to bring back John Maduka.

Rating: 4/10

Sekhukhune United

Finished: 7th

Last season: 11th

Nedbank Cup: runners-up

The arrival of Brandon Truter in December, who replaced Kaitano Tembo, proved to be the right decision by the management. When he took over, Babina Noko were second from the bottom but he guided them to a top-eight finish. Truter also took them to the Nedbank Cup final, where they lost to Orlando Pirates and qualified for the CAF Confederation Cup next season. The arrival of Kamohelo Mokotjo in January also proved to be a good signing.

Rating: 6/10

Stellenbosch

Finished: 6th

Last season: 4th

MTN8: first round

Nedbank Cup: semifinals

Though they finished lower than the previous term, Stellenbosch had a decent season, especially taking into consideration that they rebuilt the team with youngsters after parting ways with their experienced stars like Ashely du Preez and Zitha Kwinika, who were both sold to Kaizer Chiefs. Olwethu Makhanya, 20, was one of their standout performers in his debut season after being promoted from the development. The return of Iqraam Rayners, who scored 15 goals from 14 games, also proved a turning point for Stellies.

Rating: 6/10

SuperSport United

Finished: 3rd

Last season: 8th

MTN8: first round

Nedbank Cup: first round

SuperSport started very sluggishly, only needing their fifth league game of the season to collect their first win. They were excellent midway through the season but regressed towards the end, missing out on position two.  Youngsters like Thapelo Maseko and Patrick Maswanganyi raised their hands, confounding pre-season predictions that SuperSport would struggle after losing Ronwen Williams to Sundowns. Coach Gavin Hunt also managed to build a strong team with experienced players such as Grant Magerman, Siphesihle Ndlovu and Thulani Hlatshwayo, mixing up with youth.

Rating: 6/10

Swallows

Finished: 8th

Last season: 15th (won playoffs)

Nedbank Cup: first round

Musa Nyatama not only rescued Swallows from relegation, but also qualified them to top-eight after taking over from Ernst Middendorp, who dumped the side towards the end of the season, when relegation was staring them in the face. The Birds were mainly aided by four successive wins at the end of the season, securing Nyatama a historic coach of the month award even as he was helped by maverick Morgan Mammila, who openly took credit for their turnaround.

Rating: 5/10

TS Galaxy

Finished: 10th

Last season: 13th

Nedbank Cup: last 16

It’d be an understatement to say Galaxy players defied the odds. They were the relegation candidates for the better part of the season but managing to beat Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates proved how determined they were. Galaxy were also beset by internal strive amid unpaid salaries triggered by their trip to Europe in December. Will be disappointed not to have fought enough for a top-eight place.

Rating: 4/10