The 2013/14 season is about to get underway and there are lots of expectations from all corners.
Thank God I'm not a supporter of any of the PSL teams, as I only happen to write stories on them. Not that I'm a hard-to-please person, but if I were a supporter, the one expectation I would have of my team is goals. Simple. Nothing more and nothing less. Football is a very exciting game as we've all come to know, our adrenaline pumps when a big game is on and we are all in it to win it. As much as we glorify good football, I still think the end result, the one aspect of the game that makes us all jump with joy and ensures that we walk away with the bragging rights, is goals. And to be quite honest, goals have been hard to come by in the PSL in the past few seasons. The top goal scorer in the previous campaign, Katlego Mashego, scored only 13 goals. But sometimes it is not the number of goals scored that matters, but the quality, the execution, the precision, the passion.
Remember Benni McCarthy's well-executed volley against Maritzburg United in his first season back in the local game? What about his brace in the Soweto derby that let Itumeleng Khune and the rest of the Kaizer Chiefs family know who is the boss in the 18-yard area? Mor Diouf's delightful long range goal against Mamelodi Sundowns last season... now that's what I'm talking about!
Because of the lack of quality strikers or not doing enough to hone the skills of young strikers during the developmental stages, whenever an extraordinary goal is scored, we find ourselves talking about it forever. It's as if we are going to see another 'top drawer' goal in the next lifetime. Our strikers, our players who get into good scoring positions, have a duty to give the supporters pleasure not just by playing nice football but by ensuring that the end product is what they came to the stadium to see. How many supporters would go to the stadium if they knew beforehand that the game is going to end in a goalless draw?
Well, the signs are there that things could improve considerably this season. For starters, Knowledge Musona is back. He is known for terrorising defenders and scoring goals by the bucket and he showed in the Gauteng Cup that he still has it in him, despite the indifferent spell he had in Germany. Orlando Pirates have just signed Kermit Erasmus, the short nippy marksman who is known for his predatory instincts around the box. He should find his way to goal more often this season, especially with all the expectations on his shoulders.
Cuthbert Malajila has moved from Maritzburg United to Mamelodi Sundowns and is expected to continue from where he left off last season. His biggest strength is his ability to create space for himself and the runs he makes behind defences, And with the array of talented midfielders at Sundowns, he shouldn't struggle to find the back of the net. But it's always easier said than done and the proof is in the pudding.
Me, I will just sit back and watch as they bang them in!
By Lunga Adam
Soccer-Laduma journalist
