10 hours Ago By James Freemantle
Kaizer Chiefs are having an identity crisis coinciding with a massive league title drought. Manchester United know how that feels. Kaizer Chiefs and Manchester United: Two massive footballing institutions in crisis Go outside in any major city in the world and you’ll likely see a few people wearing Man United jerseys.
10% of the entire planet supports the Red Devils. Similarly, the streets of South Africa are littered with Amakhosi fans proudly wearing their black & gold merch. Their enormous followings are obvious for all to see.
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United’s last Premier League title win came back in 2012-2013, while Chiefs’ last league title and most recent piece of silverware was the 2014-15 campaign. Trophy droughts aren’t acceptable for clubs of their stature, yet here we are. Manchester City continues to dominate English football and winning league titles looks far too easy for Mamelodi Sundowns, what happened to proper rivalries? Two clubs steeped in a rich history of success and silverware are now scraping the bottom of the barrel.
The hype machine never stops Optimism is a helluva drug, and fans of both of these clubs have had spells of being high on their own supply. Now, however, that’s been replaced with disillusionment and disgruntled feelings. Despite all that, you’ll always see a Man United or Kaizer Chiefs jersey if you go outside.
They’re certainly a loyal bunch, fans of both sides, and they’re not shy to get vocal on social media when they pick up a rare win against a top side, and then they’re brought back down to earth by a team they should be beating with their eyes closed. Do they suffer from a strange type of Stockholm Syndrome? Business or football? Nobody can deny the commercial value and gravitational pull of Kaizer Chiefs and Manchester United. The problem, however, is that they’ve become business entities primarily and the football is a bit of an afterthought.
Can the top brass rectify that or is it a long-term problem with no end in sight? More questions than answers. When will either of these sides find a manager they can trust? Since the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013, United have hired and fired nine managers. David Moyes, Ryan Giggs (caretaker), Louis Van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Michael Carrick (caretaker), Ralf Rangnick (interim), Erik Ten Hag, Ruud van Nistelrooy (interim).
None of them have won the league. Now, Ruben Amorim is the latest man in the hot seat and has the unenviable task of taking United back to the top. They’re currently 28 points adrift of leaders Liverpool and just 20 points ahead of rock-bottom Southampton.
League glory in this decade feels like a pipe dream at this stage. Kaizer Chiefs can’t find the right man for the job Since Stuart Baxter won Amakhosi’s last piece of silverware in 2015, the club has made 11 separate appointments. Steve Komphela, Patrick Mabedi, Giovanni Solinas, Ernst Middendorp, Gavin Hunt, Arthur Zwane, a return for Baxter, a return for Zwane, Molefi Ntseki, Cavin Johnson and now Nasreddine Nabi have all been at the helm.
None have delivered league title success to the demanding fans at Naturena. Points gap between Chiefs and the eventual champions As you can see, the last time Chiefs were legitimate title contenders was 2020. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 .
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