Four key tactical factors in Kaizer Chiefs losing at home to 15th placed Baroka FC were as follows:
- Chiefs miss top scorers and creators
- Middendorp's puzzling Ekstein usage
- Amakhosi's Parker reliance
- Baroka motivated, Chiefs complacent
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Chiefs Miss Top Scorers and Creators
For this game, both Khama Billiat and Leonardo Castro were out injured. Billiat has 13 goals and 10 assists this season, whilst Castro has nine goals and eight assists. Lebogang Manyama was also missing. Any team would struggle without three of their best attackers.
Middendorp's Puzzling Ekstein Usage
Without these key players, Middendorp made just one change from the impressive 2-0 win against Cape Town City (where Castro was left on the bench anyway). Philani Zulu came in to replace Billiat in Chiefs' 3-5-2 formation, with Hendrick Ekstein moving up front to play in support of Bernard Parker. This was a puzzling selection with Dumisani Zuma scoring in the last match and Ryan Moon also on the bench. When Hadebe went off with a concussion after 38 minutes, Moon came on and the side went to a 4-3-1-2 formation.
Amakhosi's Parker Reliance
Chiefs were completely reliant on Parker for their attacking threat in this game. Chiefs had 12 shots of which Parker had three himself and set up five others for teammates. He also made four dribbles. Moon managed just seven successful passes and two shots off target in 52 minutes on the pitch, whilst Zuma was given just 22 minutes of game time. It is, therefore, no wonder that Chiefs didn't score.
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Baroka Motivated, Chiefs Complacent
After Maritzburg United's late win on Friday night, Baroka were especially motivated to win this game and it showed in their approach. They won 13 tackles to Chiefs' seven, whilst committing 23 fouls to Chiefs' 12 as they got stuck in and broke any momentum for the home side. Chiefs have now won just three of their 11 home league games played at FNB Stadium this season.
Middendorp told SuperSport in his television interview after the game, "We produced such a good performance last week, but we gave it away today."
Did Chiefs deserve something from this game or were Baroka worthy winners? Did Middendorp get his team selection wrong? Let us know by commenting below.
