Kaizer Chiefs are being set up for a fall by their own supporters, and the August coronation of a title that won’t be decided for another eight months is nothing short of self-sabotage. This is a fanbase so starved of success — one league title in a decade, remember — that a handful of early-season wins against modest opposition has them hallucinating a trophy lift at FNB Stadium. But the Betway Premiership is not a sprint; it is a 30-game war of attrition, and Orlando Pirates, the defending champions, have the tactical discipline, squad depth, and winning DNA that no amount of early-season vibes can replicate.
The evidence on the pitch is uncomfortable for those painting AmaKhosi as inevitable. Nasreddine Nabi has brought organisation and a clear attacking idea, and the arrivals of Gaston Sirino and Fiacre Ntwari have injected creativity and steel, respectively. Yet watch the full 90 minutes, not just the highlight reels. Against any side that presses with intelligence, Chiefs’ midfield still loses its shape, their centre-backs are routinely caught between stepping out and dropping off, and their transitions are one-dimensional. The 3-1 dismantling of SuperSport United was encouraging, but it was also a match where Chiefs conceded a soft goal from a set-piece — a recurring cancer, not a one-off. Meanwhile, Jose Riveiro’s Pirates, who have won four trophies in two seasons, don’t rely on adrenaline; they rotate players like Relebohile Mofokeng, Patrick Maswanganyi, and Tshegofatso Mabasa without losing rhythm. That is a structural advantage, not a purple patch. Chiefs are rebuilding, and rebuilds demand patience, not premature victory laps that distort the club’s true standing.
The implication of this dangerous hype is twofold. First, it reduces pressure on management to strengthen the squad in January, because they believe — wrongly — that the current