Chiefs’ Shabalala told to ignore critics: ‘Imagine if he could be a hero against Zamalek!’

Kaizer Chiefs versatile midfielder Mduduzi Shabalala has been under intense criticism from the Social Media owing to his struggles in front of the goal.

The 22-year-old was partly to blame after missing clear-cut chances in the Nedbank Cup Round of 32 loss against Stellenbosch. The Soweto giants fell 2-1 to crash out of the annual competition.

However, former Bafana Bafana international Doctor Khumalo has challenged the South Africa midfielder to prove his critics wrong. Khumalo argues that the criticism is not new and that during his active days on the pitch, he faced the same, but nothing could stop him.

Ahead of the CAF Confederation Cup outing against Zamalek, Shabalala has been urged to focus and help Amakhosi get the needed result to make the knockout phase.

Critics get you off the confort zone!

“I have been there, even though I wasn’t attacked. These are the problems that, as a footballer, you must understand, so the boy must be strong,” he opened up to the media in a presser.

“He must not think too much about it. He’s just going through a phase, and imagine if he could be a hero against Zamalek that rough patch would now be over and everyone would start praising him.

“[Shabalala] must not listen to the noise, and he must not feel bad about being criticised. That should propel him to the next level, to perform better. If you are not being criticised, you stay in your comfort zone,” Khumalo added.

Amakhosi advised ahead of the meeting against Zamalek

Chiefs lead Group D with 10 points from five games, two more than second-placed White Knights. It is not expected to be an easy outings explaining why the South Africa legend has taken his time to advise the players.

“Zamalek are a very good team, well organised and I expect a very difficult game for Chiefs against them,” he stated.

“Remember Zamalek have won this cup before [in 2024] and they know that losing to Chiefs could mean they are not advancing to the knockout stages of the competition,” Khumalo concluded.