After the DStv Premiership season reached the half-way point with the last round of fixtures in the last week for the year, KickOff compiled a report card of Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns compared to last season at this stage.
Pirates
The Buccaneers hogged the headlines for the wrong reasons after back-to-back defeats in their closing matches against SuperSport United and Stellenbosch.
After early struggles in the league, Pirates looked to be on course to at least finish the year in second place after a six-game unbeaten streak, that had five victories before the loss against rivals for second spot SuperSport.
However, the Sea Robbers finished the year in fifth place on the log with 25 points from 16 matches.
In comparison to last season, Jose Riveiro's charges had 22 points after 16 matches, which means they have made an improvement of only three points.
Perhaps what made the difference and a highlight for Pirates in the league was beating Kaizer Chiefs 1-0, a win that ended a five-game losing streak against their bitter rivals.
Chiefs
Amakhosi had a turbulent start to the season and after nine league matches parted ways with former coach Molefi Ntseki, who left with a disappointing 33% win rate.
However, Cavin Johnson managed to steady the ship with a win rate of 57% from his seven league games in charge.
As a result, the Glamour Boys ended their year in sixth spot on log with 24 points from 16 games.
Compared to last season, Chiefs had the same number of points after 16 matches under former coach Arthur Zwane, which means they have neither improved nor declined, statistically.
Given early struggles under Ntseki, their season could've been worse midway through the campaign.
Sundowns
The Brazilians are having a memorable season, with a record of 11 consecutive victories from the start of the season in the PSL era.
However, Masandawana's bubble was burst in a goalless draw against Cape Town City and ended their year dropping points in two successive matches after Polokwane City also held them to a stalemate.
Sundowns went to the break unbeaten and perched at the top of the table with 35 points, having a six-point lead after just 13 matches, with three games in hand.
In comparison to the 2022/23 season, the Brazilians had accumulated 31 points after 13 matches, which means they have made an improvement of four points.
Despite their blistering start and winning streak record, Sundowns won only one game more than last season after 13 matches - they have won 11 compared to last season's ten, at the same stage.
The biggest difference is that the Tshwane giants are still unbeaten while in comparison they had lost two games in their first 13 matches last season.
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