Kaizer Chiefs veteran Siphiwe Tshabalala has revealed that he is open to taking a lesser role at the club under Giovanni Solinas as he enters his 11th season at Naturena.
The 33-year-old is the longest-serving member of the Amakhosi squad since his arrival from Free State Stars more than a decade ago.
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Shabba is under no illusion of his role in the team as he revealed that he will have to accept that his game time will decrease as he continues to age.
Speaking in the build-up to the Glamour Boys’ MTN8 fixture against Free State Stars, Tshabalala spoke about his changing role in the team revealing that he will always be ready when called upon.
‘I think for me, I’m just okay. Mentally, I’m okay and strong. Physically, I’m okay. I take care of myself, you know, and I rest a lot,’ said Tshabalala.
‘I’ll always be there. Whenever the coach wants me, I’ll play. If he feels, “you know what, let me rest you.” I’ll still respect that.
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‘But my energy will always be there, even if I don’t play. I’ll still give good energy to the team. I think I played all the games last season and, personally for me, that was also an achievement. I was happy that I was injury free.’
Tshabalala could be set to break the Chief’s all-time appearance record after signing a new deal at the Soweto Giants in January, which will keep him at the club until at least June 2020.
Tshabalala, however, insisted that despite enjoying a number of successes at the club, he remains hungry and motivated to continue to deliver.
‘I’m happy at Chiefs hey. I’ve won a lot of trophies, I’ve won a lot of individual awards and I’m still hungry,’ he assures.
‘I believe I still give my best, and I’m still not familiar with the environment. Whenever I get there, I make sure that I work hard and that I don’t have that “I know I’m going to play on Saturday” attitude.
‘I always push myself, and we’ll see how it goes. It’s one game at a time, but so far so good. I’m happy.’
