Johannesburg — Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane has described Christian Saile as "a soldier of note” following his industrious performance against Maritzburg United in last weekend's Nedbank Cup in Durban.
The Congolese striker Saile scored a goal and had a hand in the other in the side's morale-boosting 2-0 win. He had a telling impact in the game once it went in extra time.
"Christian (Saile) is a soldier of note, and we expect more from him," said Zwane.
"He has this never-say-die attitude, and that’s what we are looking for. He never stopped running and worked hard on and off the ball. That is the reason why he ended up scoring.
"I always remind him that you create your own luck and you keep on working hard. You’ll always be rewarded, and he was rewarded as he scored."
Saile’s form augers well for the side as they return to Premiership action this weekend against Golden Arrows at the FNB Stadium. A week later they will be back at the same venue for the Soweto Derby on Saturday, 25 February.
Apart from his goal, Saile proved to be a real goalmouth predator as he kept the opposition defence busy from start to finish in his debut in the run-on XI. He pounced on a rebound for his goal. His pace and power kept Maritzburg's defence on their toes and Arrows can expect to be exposed to the same treatment this weekend.
He showed he was strong in the air and twice won aerial duels to connect with headers from crosses into the goalmouth.
One player who could benefit hugely from an in-form Saile is striker Ashley Du Preez who has not fulfilled his potential since joining Chiefs.
He has been blowing hot and cold but Saile took some pressure off him and he was enjoying greater freedom in the frontline. As a result, he enjoyed two glorious scoring opportunities in the first half.
While Du Preez and Saile have shown encouraging form attacking midfielder Siyethemba Sithebe can be delivered a promising performance. He has not been able to pin down a regular place in the team since he joined from AmaZulu.
Zwane said Sithebe was still settling down in the new environment.
“We knew that at some point he was going to struggle a little bit there and there because this is football,” said Zwane.
"It is not only him, but any other players blowing hot and cold. What has affected us more are injuries, in terms of getting the combinations right so that everyone settles in quickly.
“Unfortunately we are forced to chop and change the team. We have just lost Mduduzi Shabalala, last week we lost Bonfils Bimenyimana three weeks ago we lost two players – both rights field players.
"Even earlier we lost Nkosingiphile Ngcobo and it is a worrying factor.
“It also affected the performance of other individuals because when you think you are getting the combinations right, then he (Sithebe) is losing that partner.
“Then we have to start looking for options to compliment who in terms of complimenting each other because before you can get it right, you have to make sure that the players understand each other, and you are always looking for that."
Chiefs have joined their “big three” rivals in the next round of the Nedbank Cup and the draw for the last-16 round will be conducted on Thursday in Johannesburg.
IOL Sport