The lack of a clear leader in the Kaizer Chiefs starting XI is not an ideal situation.

For the past few seasons, goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune has been appointed club captain, but a drop in form, fitness, and injuries have seen him relegated to the bench, and in some cases, such as last weekend’s defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns, he hasn’t even made the match-day squad. After a less than convincing display against Sundowns in the MTN8 defeat in the first match of the season, the former undisputed Bafana Bafana number one had not played again.

In Khune’s absence, Amakhosi head coach Stuart Baxter initially turned to another of his senior statesmen, Bernard Parker, to fulfil the match-day captaincy role, earlier this season.

Parker, however, is at a similar stage of his career as Khune – a fantastic player in his prime, but he is unlikely to have the legs to play for too many more seasons.

And having failed to impress when given the chance this season, Parker was also dropped for Amakhosi’s last game – the 2-0 league defeat to Sundowns.

Instead it was Erick Mathoho who was given the armband. Mathoho though is not dissimilar to Khune and Parker in that his place in the side is not guaranteed. The big man’s performances have unfortunately been on the wane and he’s under threat from the two new central defenders the club signed, Njabulo Ngcobo and Austin Dube.

Both are hungry to play, and with fellow centre-back Daniel Cardoso maintaining a reasonable level of consistency, it could be Mathoho who next makes way.

That would once more leave Chiefs without a clear match-day captain.

It also speaks of the club’s reluctance to part ways with some of their more senior players which is potentially blocking the path of more youthful players eager to impress.

The likes of Ramahlwe Mphahlele and Willard Katsande are another two senior players who have been given the captaincy in recent years, and while Katsande has already left the team, Mphahlele is also not a long-term option as he too is struggling for game-time.

It’s perhaps concerning that there are no other obvious candidates for the armband – ideally it would go to a player in his prime years, around the age of 27 to 30-years-old, and someone who has been at the club for a while.

There aren’t too many of those around, and those that are, such as Khama Billiat or even Lebogang Manyama, do not strike one as captain’s material. They should rather be left to focus on scoring goals anyway without any further distractions.

While great teams often have many leaders on the pitch, more often than not there is an especially inspirational captain. It’s an element which is clearly missing from Amakhosi over the past couple of years.