Kaizer Chiefs attacking midfielder Mduduzi Shabalala has weighed in on what he believes is the most critical area for the club to improve if they are to genuinely compete for silverware across all competitions next season.
Amakhosi are currently in the Netherlands for their pre-season camp, preparing for the upcoming 2025/26 campaign.
After ending their decade-long trophy drought last season, the Phefeni Glamour Boys are setting their sights on even greater achievements in the upcoming campaign under the leadership of Nasreddine Nabi.
Shabalala believes that Chiefs‘ ability to strongly compete in all upcoming competitions hinges on a crucial factor of winning more of their home games.
He further highlighted that key takeaways from last season for his side are the importance of self-managing players and working on their finishing.
MDU SHABALALA ON KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM LAST SEASON
“As a team, we learnt that we need to manage ourselves better and we need to concentrate more on our finishing,” said Shabalala as per Kaizer Chiefs website.
“Doubtlessly, we definitely want to win more of our home games next season to be able to compete for top positions on the league table.”
Meanwhile, Shabalala believes his recent participation in the COSAFA Cup with Bafana Bafana has equipped him massively.
He believes the lessons he gleaned from the tournament will be instrumental in helping him navigate the demands of the CAF Confederation Cup.
He added, “Being selected for the national team was a huge honour. It was also good for my self-confidence, and the games taught me a lot. I have no doubt I will be able to take all these lessons to the CAF Confederations Cup, for which we, as Kaizer Chiefs, qualified.”
“A lot of other African countries play football differently than us, being very physical. I also learnt a lot about the mental aspect of the game of football during my stint with Bafana. So, I gained really valuable insights and experiences that will improve my game in the future.”
RELATED STORY: Imminent overseas move keeps Maart from Chiefs’ Netherlands tour