How Chiefs avoided ‘killing’ Asanele Velebayi amid calls to play him

Kaizer Chiefs winger Asanele Velebayi made his first start as an Amakhosi player on Tuesday in the 4-1 win over Orbit College at the FNB Stadium.

Mduduzi Shabalala scored a brace for the hosts, with Flavio Silva and Mfundo Vilakazi also hitting the target for the Glamour Boys. Ayanda Lukhele was on target for the Mswenko Boys, but it turned out to be a consolation as the Soweto giants registered their third consecutive win across all competitions.

Asanele Velebayi, finally, made his first start for the club following his controversial move from Cape Town Spurs, who were relegated to the third tier, rendering all the players amateurs and free to negotiate with other clubs plying trade in the Premier Soccer League and the second tier.

There were questions about the situation of the winger and why it took time for him to be involved at Chiefs.

Kaze explains why it took so long for Velebayi to be played 

“I want to take advantage of that question to emphasise as well that there is a process in bringing new players into a team. Sometimes they take too long, but when you rush, you can kill the player’s confidence and things like that,” the tactician told the media.

“But I would say it’s true that he brings something different, because he’s a player who is willing to go one-on-one. He’s a player who, when you create those situations, you give the ball to him in a one-on-one situation, he’s a player who likes to go forward. He’s a player like that.

“He likes to take on those one-on-one. He’s a player who can cross. He’s a player who can cut inside and shoot. The performance was good for the first time. And we hope that, and we are sure that he can do even more,” he concluded.

Chiefs have time to continue training for the next two weeks before playing Magesi on November 22.