Billiat a great addition to the Chiefs, but not enough for the title



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Kaizer Chiefs coach Giovanni Solinas will take his place in the trench when the Soweto giants start their season of Absa Premiership against reigning champions Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday.

The Italian coach received his work permit He started his job about three weeks after being appointed to turn the fortune of the most popular club in South Africa.

Chiefs confirmed Tuesday that his paperwork is over, and fans will no doubt be eager to hear his vision of the club. week, in preparation for what is a massive match for the team.

Up to now, there has been no media engagement and he cut a solitary figure in the stands during the pre-season, unable to lead the team. inclined against the Sundowns and Cape Town during the warm-up matches.

These performances will not have done much to arouse the hope of Chiefs fans this season, after a disastrous campaign in 2017/18. They have not won anything for the third consecutive year and have been sanctioned twice by the Premier Soccer League for thrilling invasions by fans, the latter a particularly violent affair in Durban.

Their tortuous search of a new boss saw them He pushed back a number of times before choosing Solinas, the Free State Stars coach, who can now officially start working over three months after the departure of his predecessor Steve Komphela

The Sundowns in the table and in truth were always on the sidelines of the championship race.

They had the best defense in the league, conceding only 22 times in 30 games, but only four clubs were brusque in front of goal, scoring 27 goals, the worst in his league history [19659002] It is in this area that Solinas will have to improve in the next campaign, and if the pre-season has something to do, he will have his job.

The arrival of Khama Billiat on a No Sundowns is a big-money bet as they splashed on salaries to attract a player whom they hope can score and create goals.

Billiat is a class act and has shown what a trump he can be at the Sundowns, but there are some problems to be solved with regard to the Zimbabwean international.

First of all, the pressure on him will be immense from the first day – considering the investment that the club has made in him from a financial point of view, and the l '39; investment that the fans made on his arrival from an emotional point of view. He can not afford to fail

His signature has been widely welcomed with great joy among the faithful of the club, but these smiles will quickly turn to frowns if he can not deliver the goods in the first weeks of the season. Expect their forwards to score goals and many before being kicked out of the club by the dissatisfaction of the stands. You can go back in recent history with the case of another Zimbabwean, Kingston Nkhatha, who was so intimidated by the fans that the coach of the time, Stuart Baxter, had to call publicly to a stop. Not that the boo-boys listened.

The second problem with Billiat is knowing how he will integrate into the system, and the kind of players he has around him.

At Sundowns, and at Ajax Cape Town before, he was successful in his side and attacked their nature. They also moved the ball to the rhythm.

Leaders tend to be more cautious and heavy in their climbs, and do not have much speed in their front line in Leonardo Castro, Ryan Moon, Bernard Parker and an aging Siphiwe Tshabalala.

It will surely be a priority for Solinas to change that, but up to here he has to look around the team and scratch his head to find out where the pace will come from.

There is a feeling that this Chiefs team is far too predictable in the way it will play, but Billiat brings a bit of factor x to the equation.

That said, it's a lot to rely on one man to do it alone

. And the other striker of the club, the Malagasy playmaker Andriamirado Andrianarimanana, mercifully more simply known as Dax, has yet to arrive at the camp after an argument with his club Fosa Juniors.

It is not tested in the PSL to settle, if it ever happens, but could add another dimension.

I In goalkeeping, defensive and central positions, leaders are well equipped and have few concerns. There has been good continuity in recent seasons in terms of building these units and this is paying off.

They have players who can provide width, but Joseph Malongoane, Philani Zulu and Bongi Jayiya are really the kind of players to help you. to win the championship?

Despite the addition of Billiat, who is an excellent signing, it's hard to see the Chiefs sneaking in with Sundowns, Orlando Pirates, BidVest Wits, SuperSport United and even Cape Town City.

Unless there are significant additions to their team, AmaKhosi's supporters may have a sense of déjà-vu, with an arrival in the range of three to five.

The best bets come in the cups and there they have a good chance of winning something, especially with their quality defense that gives very little.

They might break their trophy this season, but the league championship will be a bridge too far.

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