Shabalala vows to lift Chiefs out of slump
Mduduzi Shabalala didn’t expect Kaizer Chiefs’ struggles to last this long when he was promoted to the senior team from the club’s development rank last season.
But Shabalala, born and raised in Senaoane, Soweto, was part of Arthur Zwane’s team that just managed to creep into the Premier Soccer League’s (PSL) top eight last season, and is ending the current campaign under interim coach Cavin Johnson in similar circumstances.
Chiefs will take on SuperSport United in Polokwane on Saturday, hoping to earn their second league victory in 2024 after failing to do so in seven games.
The last three defeats to Stellenbosch, Chippa United and relegation-threatened Richards Bay have taken the Soweto giants out of the top eight.
But Shabalala has not given up on finishing in the top eight this season.
After the SuperSport game Chiefs will have five matches to go: against runaway log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, AmaZulu FC away, Polokwane City at home, Cape Town Spurs away and TS Galaxy at home.
“We need to keep going even though things [results] are not going our way,” was Shabalala’s response to the club’s situation when he faced the media on Thursday.
“It’s not been a good season for us, but we still have six games to go,” he said.
“We think everything can just turn [in our favour] in one game if we can win Saturday’s game. We can go back to the top eight because in the table that we’re not that far.
“It’s all about believing in ourselves, doing it for our fans and our families because that’s the motivation behind us.”
Given the latest results, what Shabalala is talking about will seem far-fetched because Chiefs have had many opportunities to at least cement their place in the top eight, but they gave them away, with Johnson failing to steer the club towards positive results.
Shabalala is taking it all in his stride and vowing to remain part of the players to revive Chiefs in coming seasons.
“It’s sad and it’s painful,” he said of the club’s situation.
“Waking up every morning and seeing people doubting you, seeing people not having trust in you is insulting in such a way that suggests you’re not a good player.”
Shabalala is showing maturity in how he is handling the blows he gets from doubting Thomases he meets off the field. The 20-year-old attacking midfielder has not had a good season, providing just one assist and failing to score in the 13 matches he’s played.
“I just keep calm. We know what we’ve been going through,” he said in response to his critics.