Kaizer Chiefs new striker Flavio Silva is already under pressure before he makes an official debut for Amakhosi.
The 29-year-old has underdelivered so far in pre-season after failing to score in the four matches he has played. During the team’s pre-season tour to the Netherlands, Amakhosi lost four of their five matches and only a handful of players stood out.
With the season kicking off in two weeks, Silva will need to familiarise himself with players and adjust quickly. Before joining Kaizer Chiefs, the Portuguese striker netted 30 goals in 45 appearances for Indonesian club Parsebaya Surabaya in 2023/24. His last season was poor, managing just nine goals in 33 games for the same club.
Kaizer Chiefs legend Jabu Mahlangu pleaded with fans to give the new striker a chance.
“Is it fair to judge him now? Because they are criticising him on social media. Let me give him a chance because it’s a new environment, new players, new country and the challenge is big. Because Kaizer Chiefs is not in the top eight, they want to bring back the glory days,” Mahlangu said on his Diski Shandis podcast.
Jabu pleads with fans to give new Kaizer Chiefs striker a chance
“It’s a big challenge, he has to hit the ground running, there will be no time to let him adjust. That’s why I say I don’t know if his character… Let me see him for a few weeks, but most importantly, I want to see his character, attitude and whether he knows how to hit the back of the net.
“Because he’s here to hit the net. But I don’t think it’s fair to crush him. He doesn’t know these guys, it’s the first time he’s playing with them, their strengths, movements. But he needs to pull up his socks because when you start like this, with fans criticising you, it becomes difficult,” said the former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder.
Can Flavio Silva deliver?
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