Johannesburg - SuperSport United produced another tepid performance with a goalless draw against Free State Stars at the largely deserted Lucas Moripe Stadium, in Atteridgeville, on Wednesday.
"You don't have to be a rocket scientist to detect where our problems rest," said SuperSport coach Gavin Hunt.
The declining champions - they impressively secured three PSL championships in the past three seasons - have mustered only two goals in their last seven matches.
At the halfway stage in the championship race, they find themselves in 11th place and on the edge of the relegation zone with a mere 17 points from 15 games.
With Free State Stars looking no more potent in front of goal, the small crowd resigned themselves to listening to a brass band of loyal SuperSport supporters and watching the facial contortions of Hunt for their entertainment.
Goalkeepers Kennedy Mweene of Stars and Rowen Fernandez of SuperSport looked assured and competent in handling the rare scoring efforts that came their way.
However, Zambian international Mweene proved his mettle in the 84th minute with a spectacular full-length diving save, that deflected substitute Kermit Erasmus's rasping 20-metre shot onto the post.
Erasmus's spurts of scoring initiative suggested that SuperSport might have done better than leaving him on the bench for three-quarters of the match.
Both sides introduced their full quota of three substitutes in an attempt to end the deadlock, but there was little sign of penetration near goal from either side to the bitter end, and the match petered out to what always seemed an inevitable draw.
"What more can we do?," asked Free State Stars' coach Steve Komphela.
"We go through all the motions of scoring in training and then in the matches the grit, courage and technical skills suddenly seem to vanish."
Stars have failed to win any of their last four games.