Kaizer Chiefs striker Flavio Silva has struggled to deliver for the Soweto giants in the ongoing pre-season in the Netherlands.
The 29-year-old was brought in to replace Ranga Chivaviro, who was released after his contract expired. The former Marumo Gallants striker scored just nine goals in the 45 games that he played for the Soweto giants. Christian Saile is another attacker who struggled to make an impact before being offloaded to defunct SuperSport United.
Tashreeq Morris was signed in January, but has also failed to convince the supporters and the technical team that he can lead the Glamour Boys' attacking department.
Silva has so far played against Vitesse, FC Utrecht, and NEC Nijmegen but has left the fans with more questions than answers. However, that is not a problem, according to ex-Amakhosi player Daniel Matsau.
Silva is getting into shape
“In the case of Silva, it is too early to judge him. You can't assess a footballer based on friendly matches. Some players take time to recover physically. You can see Silva is still getting into shape, but he shows good movement and the ability to press. It's too soon to draw conclusions about his performance,” the former striker told Kick Off.
“He is still working on understanding how his new teammates play, and sometimes the passes he receives come a bit late. Remember, we are still in the second phase of pre-season, with a month left to fine-tune everything.
“The likes of Kaizer [Motaung] Jr, and [Nasreddine] Nabi wouldn't have signed Silva if he weren't a good player. We just need to give him time to show what he can do,” Matsau continued.
Friendlies don't matter, give Nabi and players time
“Those who focus only on winning will likely feel negative. Kaizer Chiefs could lose all five friendly matches, but that would be a different story when the league starts,” the 48-year-old continued.
“As long as the coach can achieve his objectives during these games, I don’t see an issue. The main goal is to develop the striker that the team needs. Thabiso Monyane and Nkanyiso Shinga have been particularly impressive at the back.
“Players aren’t at their peak right now because their bodies are still recovering from off-season stiffness. Some are a bit rusty, but that’s normal for any athlete,” Matsau concluded.
