Without suspended defender Inacio Miguel, former Kaizer Chiefs defender Tefu Mashamaite believes the Soweto giants are in a perfect situation to test their depth for what lies ahead in the season.
Angolan defender Miguel will miss Amakhosi's Betway Premiership clash against Magesi FC in Polokwane on Wednesday evening due to suspension and this will give an opportunity to someone else to step up and show what they are capable of. Given Msimango, Thatayaone Ditlhokwe and Zitha Kwinika are options for head coach Nasreddine Nabi to play in the absence of Miguel, who has been an influential figure at the back.
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Miguel's absence, according to Mashamaite, is no train smash. In fact, Amakhosi should look at it as an opportunity to test their squad depth early on in the season, considering there is so much more football to come for the rest of the season.
"I don't think the foundation of the current Chiefs team depends on one man alone. There are too many important pieces, including those we have not seen this season. So, I don't think the absence of Miguel should be considered a train smash to a point where everything is just going to fall apart. You have Given Msimango, you have Ditlhokwe. They are both capable and they are international players. They are waiting in the wings and I am sure they are going to relish this moment to stake a claim in the team and to convince the current coach that they deserve to be part of this transformational team that he is building. It grants them an opportunity to show the coach that he has got depth," Mashamaite said to the Siya crew.
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"The season is going to be very long, so he can't just depend on 11 players that are commanding the starting line-up right now. There's going to be injuries, loss of form and a whole lot of things that are going to disturb the rhythm of the team. You need those guys who are waiting in the periphery to come into the mix and show they are just as capable. It's not a train smash. In as much as Miguel has shown that he is someone who can add value, I don't think him missing a game is going to throw the whole ship into chaos."
Chiefs have suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premiership after their promising start and are in danger of falling behind the early pace setters if they do not get back to winning ways. The test at Magesi won't be an easy one, with the home club high in confidence after recently knocking Orlando Pirates out of the Carling Knockout.
The rookies are also unbeaten in their last three league matches, so they capable of upsetting Amakhosi.
By Tshepang Mailwane
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