Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Manqoba Mngqithi has commented on Peter Shalulile’s goal drought in the new season following their comfortable 4-1 win over Marumo Gallants on Tuesday night.
The Betway Premiership encounter between Bafana Ba Style and Bahlabane ba Ntwa took place at Loftus Versfield Stadium in Tshwane. Goals from Tashreeq Matthews, Iqraam Rayners, Lucas Ribeiro and Sphelele Mkhulise were enough to earn Sundowns maximum points at home.
Meanwhile, Gabadinho Mhango scored the consolation goal for the struggling Dan Malesela-coached side, who are yet to taste a win since their return to the top-flight after purchasing Moroka Swallows’ status.
‘Shasha’, as he is affectionately known, has gone seven games across all competitions in the new campaign without finding the back of the net.
Out of the seven matches that Masandawana has played this season, the Namibian international featured in six games.
His recent lack of killer instinct in front of goal has raised eyebrows, with many people questioning what might have gone wrong.
MANQOBA MNGQITHI’S VERDICT ON PETER SHALULILE’S LACK OF GOALS
In a post-match interview after the league tie against Gallants, Mngqithi backed up Shalulile, citing that the player needs one goal to turn things around, and he has all their support.
Mngqithi further revealed that ‘Shasha’ is doing a lot of good things for the team, but the problem is that he hasn’t been scoring goals lately.
“His level of motivation is unquestionable. I think there is one area where he is very professional. He does so many things for the club, but unfortunately, at the moment, he is just not scoring,” said Mngqithi.
“We all have a responsibility within the club. I even saw a good gesture from Ronwen [Williams] today; when he came in, he gave him the armband because we want him back. We know what he can do for us, and we are still confident that he is going to score goals for us.
“He just needs one goal to change the fortunes. So, we are praying and training him very hard to ensure that we change this perspective. We are just looking for one goal.”
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‘WE WILL ALWAYS SUPPORT HIM’, SAYS MANQOBA MNGQITHI
Mngqithi continued: “I’m very hopeful that once he gets that goal, we will start to see the other good things that he is doing because my wish is that he doesn’t end up too anxious. He is trying to fight hard for that opportunity, even if it is through a penalty, just to get that first goal. For me, it will be very important because I think once he gets that first goal, he will settle again and start to score for us.”
“All of us within the team, including all the coaches, the players themselves, support staff, senior management, and everybody else, are trying to support him as much as we can because we know how important Peter is to our squad. We are hopeful that he will turn the corner, and we will always support him.”
Last season, Shalulile managed to score 15 goals and contributed four assists from 39 appearances across all competitions for the Chloorkop-based outfit.