Let's get this one fact out, right away: Mamelodi Sundowns were not the same without Themba Zwane in the 2019-20 campaign.
The Sundowns attacking midfielder featured in 16 of the 17 Absa Premiership matches won by Sundowns to bag their third trophy in a row - a 10th league title for the Brazilians in the 24 years of the Premier Soccer League era that's been dominated by the yellow-shirted Tshwane giants.
The numbers supporting the view that Zwane was simply indispensable in Pitso Mosimane's team in the end are just too compelling to make Zwane a firm favourite to win the PSL's Player of the Season award.
Simply buzzing all season
It's an accolade that has eluded the Tembisa-born player a couple of times in the past four seasons in which he's seen Khama Billiat (2016), Lebogang Manyama (2017), Percy Tau (2018) and Thembinkosi Lorch (2019) walking to the podium to collect it.
Having turned 31 at the beginning of last month, there seems to be no appropriate time for Zwane to follow in the footsteps of seven - Rapheal Chukwu (1998), Roger Feutmba (1999), Surprise Moriri (2006), Godfrey Sapula (2007), Katlego Mphela (2010), Billiat and Tau - former Sundowns greats who've also won it in the PSL era.
"Mshishi" has been simply buzzing all season. Game after game he's dictated terms for Sundowns, doing exactly what Mosimane expects of his number 10: provide vital link-up play in critical areas where opponents are likely to be hurt. And boy oh boy, he's done that job so well at times.
Zwane's disappearance in certain matches is one thing that has made him fail to win the award before, but accusing him of that this season could be difficult. While other potential candidates were struggling to catch the air in the PSL's bio bubble, Zwane upped his game, contributing with two goals and three assists, including two to Lebohang Maboe in Sundowns' 3-0 win over Leopards to clinch the title on Saturday.
But one of Zwane's moments of brilliance was when he delivered that delicious backheel for Gaston Sirino to score the only goal in the top-of-the-table victory against Kaizer Chiefs towards the end of last month to leave Chiefs with just three points at the top. That assist was a game-changer in terms of the destination of the league title. It's what separated Zwane from the rest.
Zwane did disappear, though, in the two matches that Sundowns lost against Cape Town City (3-2) and Baroka FC (1-0) in the bubble. Such was his struggle that Mosimane pulled him off in the 64th minute of the City game, but left him until the end in the Baroka encounter which came after he'd produced that exquisite assist to Sirino.
That those two defeats were the only blot in 25 leagues matches that Zwane featured in says a lot about his influence this season.
A return of 11 goals, eight assists in 25 league matches makes Zwane almost a shoo-in for the award. Zwane's league goals were spread around 10 of the 16 league matches that Sundowns won when he
was playing.
To show just how much Sundowns depended on Zwane's magic is further highlighted by the fact that they lost two, drew two and only won one match at home against AmaZulu, in five league ties he couldn't play because of injury and suspension.
Too hot to handle
With that in mind, one has to agree that the scramble to win the league ahead of Chiefs on the last day of the season last Saturday could well have been avoided had Zwane played in all 30 league matches.
But how does Zwane stack up when compared to Chiefs' Manyama and Orlando Pirates fireman Gabadihno Mhango, the other two players who have been touted as also worth considering for the Player of the Season gong?
As Chiefs found the PSL's bubble too hot to acquaint themselves with, so was the start of the wavering of Manyama's form.
Mhango at least tried to recapture his touch towards the end of the season, scoring two critical goals for the Buccaneers in the last two matches in which they won qualification for next season's Caf Confederation Cup.
Mhango ended the season as joint top scorer with Highlands Park's Peter Shalulile on 16.
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