Kaizer Chiefs skipper Siphiwe Tshabalala says all is not lost after losing the Carling Black Label Cup to Orlando Pirates 4-3 on penalties at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.
In its fifth edition, Amakhosi have now lost the pre-season Cup game to the Buccaneers for the fourth time. But Tshabalala reckons the team did everything they could do to win the match, even though the result didn’t go their way.
“Obviously it is not nice losing, but we did very well. We did what we wanted to do, what we have been working hard on. It is a matter of taking that confidence in terms of playing and moving on to the big one on Wednesday,” said Tshabalala.
Tshabalala, who was recently appointed as the new Glamour Boys captain, will commence his captaincy officially when Chiefs take on Maritzburg United, in the MTN 8 Cup quarter-finals also at FNB Stadium on Wednesday.
“We’re almost there; most of us played 90 minutes this afternoon (Saturday), which is good for the team. We can only build from here,” said the skipper.
With Itumeleng Khune returning to Naturena, Shabba reckons this can only benefit the club and the ‘keeper will add value to the Soweto giants.
“Obviously it is a huge boost for the team with Khune coming back. We’ve welcomed him back, he is one of us and he is going to add value to the team. That’s what we want, we want players with quality and leadership.”
Meanwhile, Chiefs’ Soweto derby debutant, Siyanda Xulu, says the game wasn’t at all bad for him. And having played against Pirates before, it was just a matter of adapting to the change in the atmosphere for him.
“I have played against Pirates before. I just had to adjust with the help of my teammates and it wasn’t easy, but it turned out to be okay,” said the centre-back.
With many considering Xulu a perfect replacement for Tefu Mashamaite, who left the team after his contract ended in June, the 23-year-old says he is not in the team to fill up any spaces and he came to the club with his own mission, which is to help the team become more successful.
However, the defender does appreciate the work that Mashamaite has done and says he is a good player and he will just have to add more to what Mashamaite has done.
“I can never be a replacement to anyone, I came here to do my own job and help the team achieve more,” said the former Mamelodi Sundowns player. - The Star