Five boxes new Chiefs striker Saile ticked on his debut

New Kaizer Chiefs striker Christian Saile gave the supporters a few moments that left them impressed on his debut on Sunday. 

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The Congolese youngster, yes he is just 22-years-old, came on as a second half substitute and contributed to Amakhosi’s second goal. 

He provided a pin point cross that found Ashley Du Preez to convert and end his long goalless run. Saile had replaced Caleb Bomenyimana.

“He gave us that extra oomph we were looking for,” Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane said in a TV interview after the game.

“And we were so aggressive, we gave them no space, we were pressing them.

“We knew that in the middle, we were in that mental battle. We just needed to be a little bit aggressive now going forward.

“And when Saile came on, he gave us that and that’s why we managed to score the second goal,” added Zwane.

Saile definitely ticked a few boxes in a performance that gave promising signs that he could be the real deal. 

Increased competition

He will however have to fight for a place in the team against Caleb Bimenyimana who has already scored seven goals for Amakhosi. 

Saile will have to shoulder the responsibility alone should Bimenyimana be injured again because Chiefs are thin in the striking department. 

Ashely Du Preez is now played more as a winger than an outright striker under Zwane. 

Here is a look at five aspects of the game which are needed in a striker and Saile ticked in the 35+ minutes he played on Sunday.

• Confidence – He handled the heavy crown – mostly consisting of Kaizer Chiefs fans – with ease and went about his duties like an old club veteran. 

You could sense that he wanted to make a good first impression but that didn’t make him unnecessarily overwork himself.

• Unselfish – Saile showed that he is a team player and is willing to create for his teammates and not go for personal glory. 

In the assist for Du Preez’s goal, Saile could have gone on a run and tried to shoot himself. 

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• Good vision and pass – The way he managed to locate Du Preez on the other side with a few Royal AM defenders around showed Saile has vision. 

And completing that pass shows he is a good passer and crosser of the ball. 

• Pace – There was not much running that he had to do, but the short sprints he made gave an indication that Saile ticks the pace box.

• Strength – He didn’t get into any serious duels but his body says he has the strength and will win physical altercations when needed.