SOCCER legend Patrick Mayo doesn’t see his former club Kaizer Chiefs winning the Absa Premiership title after the departure of George Maluleka.
The ex-Chiefs striker, who won two league titles with Amakhosi, said Maluleka, a dead ball specialist, was crucial for the log leaders’ march to the crown before the campaign was suspended in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 47-year-old doesn’t see anyone else who can deliver those balls from set plays when Amakhosi get their season underway again against Bidvest Wits next Wednesday at Orlando Stadium.
Chiefs are top of the table on 48 points from 22 matches, four points ahead of second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns, who have a game in hand.
The 31-year-old Maluleka, who left the club to join Sundowns but he won’t play again this season, featured in 19 league matches for Chiefs and had four assists, mostly from set plays.
“If Maluleka was still at Chiefs, they were going to win the league but now that he’s gone, it’s going to be difficult because there’s no replacement,” said Mayo.
“George was very good in set plays and coach Ernst Middendorp relied heavily on him to float those balls into the box, and Samir Nurkovic and Leonardo Castro were the beneficiaries because of their height.”
This is not the only concern Mayo has about Chiefs.
Mayo, who also worked with Middendorp when they won the Absa Cup (2005-06) and the SAA Supa8 (2006-07), has cast doubt on what kind of a Chiefs side fans will see after the long coronavirus lay-off and doubts whether they can continue where they left off before that break, despite all the teams being in the same boat.
“They can lose the league,” he guessed.
“They were performing better before the lockdown, it’ll affect them.
“This is like they are starting the season from scratch.”
Mayo is familiar with the position Chiefs find themselves in when Amakhosi won the league in 2004-05 under the late Ted Dumitru.
Orlando Pirates had dominated the season and at one point they were unbeaten in 18 matches.
But when it mattered most, Chiefs came from behind to clinch the league.
Mayo said then Chiefs had depth to win the league but unfortunately, this current side doesn’t have that depth.
