Chiefs on brink of surpassing previous longest barren spell

Kaizer Chiefs’ slow start to 2022 has seen them fail to score in their opening two games of the year despite an embarrassment of riches up front, and only once in the past six years have they gone three games without finding the back of the net.

Coach Stuart Baxter’s side returned from the long midseason break with a 0-1 loss to TS Galaxy in the Nedbank Cup and a 0-0 draw with Cape Town City in the Premier Soccer League, and they did not look particularly threatening in either of those games. 

Against City they only had one shot on target despite seeing most of the ball. Their potency as an attacking force just fell away as soon as they reached their opponent’s box. 

Chiefs started both games with Keagan Dolly and Khama Billiat, and were able to call Leonardo Castro (against Galaxy) and Samir Nurković off the bench, but still they fired blanks.

They now face the possibility of their longest barren spell in front of goal since nine goalless days in October and November 2020 when they twice lost to bitter Soweto rivals Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 semifinals (3-0 and 2-0) and in between those defeats were held to a 0-0 draw by Galaxy.

That was the only time they have gone three games without finding the back of the net since successive goalless draws against Maritzburg United, Pirates and Baroka in 2016.

Trying to shut them out for a third time in a row next Saturday will be Baroka, a team who have only conceded a single goal in their past three matches against Royal AM, Stellenbosch FC and Mamelodi Sundowns.

Baroka seemed to have tightened up at the back but unravelled again against Sekhukhune when they went down 4-0 on Sunday. 

Baxter bemoaned the movement of his players around the front three after the stalemate with City on Tuesday, but Chiefs could be boosted by the return to individual training of left-back Sifiso Hlanti.

When fully fit and in flow, he is a potent attacking weapon with his ability to overlap on the wing and provide crosses into the box that the fit-again Castro and Nurković should be able to feed off.

Hlanti has been missing for four months after he tore his Achilles tendon in training at the start of November and was forced to have surgery, but is already running again and could soon be involved in the team’s practice sessions.

Chiefs had feared he would be out for the remainder of the season, but the 31-year-old has recovered quicker than expected.

Amakhosi also expect to have Cole Alexander and Njabulo Ngcobo back from injury when they face Baroka.