Over the last month of the Betway Premiership, several players raised their hands to be counted among the best, with the League expected to announce top performers who will be crowned Player of the Month and Coach of the Month for August/September.
Kaizer Chiefs maintained their unbeaten run so far this campaign, with four wins and a draw from their opening five games of the season. Coach Nasreddine Nabi’s charges have consistently been in the top two for the opening month of the season and remain the only team yet to concede with Brandon Petersen making the number one jersey his own. Amakhosi have scored five goals in the process and will fancy their chances of having a much better season this time around. For a team that finished ninth after 28 games, with 32 points, Chiefs have every reason to believe they are in for a better campaign if the 13 points from five games is anything to go by.
Coach Eric Tinkler’s Sekhukhune United, sitting on top of the log standings on goal difference, are tied with Amakhosi on 13 points and are also yet to taste defeat. They’ve only conceded one goal in five matches, scoring eight times. Despite their disappointing MTN8 semi-finals exit, Babina Noko have redeemed themselves with their league performances and will be hoping to keep the momentum going. After all, they’ve been in the top four for the past couple of seasons and even ventured into the CAF Confederation Cup.
Mamelodi Sundowns, despite a non-convincing start to the season by their high standards, continue to grind results as they find themselves two points behind the Glamour Boys and United. Just like the teams above them, Sundowns are yet to lose a game and have just conceded one goal, scoring six in their opening five matches. Three wins and two draws is not a bad start but, for Sundowns, it is a serious concern that they have not been firing on all cylinders. Coach Miguel Cardoso has experienced a rather tough start to the season with a section of the team’s supporters making their frustrations by the team’s underwhelming start known. Though the former Esperance mentor remains positive about turning the corner.
TS Galaxy find themselves occupying fourth spot on nine points from three wins and two losses. Coach Adnan Beganovic will be happy with his team’s performance, although he will be the first one to admit that there is room for improvement. Despite losing key players from last season, The Rockets have scored the highest number of goals so far as they’ve found the back of the net nine times. However, it is at the back that they need to improve as they’ve conceded five times already.
Orlando Pirates rescued their season with three back-to-back wins, against Stellenbosch FC, Orbit College and Chippa United, scoring five times without conceding, following two opening losses against Sekhukhune and Marumo Gallants. Coach Abdeslam Ouaddou must be happy with his team’s progress as they’ve also secured a spot in the MTN8 final against Stellies, which will see a repeat of last season’s final.
Players like Kamogelo Sebelebele, Brandon Petersen, Oswin Appollis, Glody Lilepo, Siphesihle Mkhize and Mbekezeli Mbokazi are just some of the players who have raised their hands for recognition with their performances for their respective clubs.
With that brief summary of the month's performances, have a go at selecting your Team of the Month and see how close you get to the official Soccer Laduma selection.
