Kaizer Chiefs vice-captain Zitha Kwinika has offered a defiant stance on the club’s current scoring issues, insisting that the lack of goals from the frontline is a hurdle they are equipped to overcome rather than a deep-seated emergency.
Amakhosi have found themselves under a microscope as their primary goal-scorers struggle to convert their dominance into results. The drought has sparked vocal frustration from the Naturena faithful, but Kwinika—speaking ahead of Saturday’s sold-out Soweto Derby against Orlando Pirates—was quick to pour cold water on the “crisis” narrative.
Despite sitting fourth on the Betway Premiership log, Chiefs head into the FNB Stadium showdown with a forward line thin on confidence. While the defensive structure remains solid—conceding only eight goals in 16 league matches—the attack is averaging exactly one goal per game.
A look at the numbers shows a worrying lack of bite in the Chiefs’ attack. Aside from Flavio Silva, the Amakhosi frontline has struggled to find the back of the net. Ashley Du Preez and Wandile Duba are both still searching for their first goals of the campaign despite having over 450 minutes of game time each.
Big-name signings have also found it tough; Khanyisa Mayo has managed just one goal in 600 minutes since joining on loan from Algerian club CR Belouizdad, while Etiosa Ighodaro has the same return from his 460 minutes on the pitch.
With Tashreeq Morris still fighting to even make the match-day squad, the statistics are grim: these five strikers have combined for only two goals in nearly 2,000 minutes of football.
‘IT IS NOT A CRISIS’: KWINIKA DEFENDS CHIEFS’ FRONTLINE
Kwinika’s comments come at a time when social media criticism of the strikers has reached a boiling point. By framing the issue as a minor setback, the defender seems to be attempting to shield his teammates from the surrounding storm.
“Let’s not say a crisis,” he said at the Soweto Derby press conference in Nasrec on Thursday. “It’s a matter of saying, how do they get to the point of converting the chances we create, because we create a whole lot of chances, and I’m happy with that.
“It’s better to create chances than not create them at all. If we convert as much as we create, we give ourselves an opportunity to win games. Things will turn, and we will score more than two goals.”
SOWETO DERBY STAKES AND RECENT HEARTBREAK
The timing of this slump is far from ideal. Chiefs head into the Derby on the back of consecutive defeats—a heartbreaking CAF Confederation Cup exit at the hands of Zamalek SC, followed by a midweek league loss to Stellenbosch FC.
Currently trailing their arch-rivals Pirates by eight points [with the Buccaneers having a game in hand], Saturday represents more than just bragging rights. It is a chance for the Glamour Boys to prove that their offensive woes are indeed a temporary hitch and not a season-defining failure.
With 14 games left in the season, the hope at Naturena is that the biggest stage in South African football will be the catalyst for a change in fortunes.
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