KAIZER CHIEFS Striker Flavio Da Silva credits teammates for redemption.
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Flavio Da Silva may have established himself as Kaizer Chiefs’ knight in shining armor during a difficult period for the club, but he knows he cannot do it alone, which is why he is benefiting from the overall support of his teammates.
Chiefs are currently enjoying a purple patch. They have won their last four games in the Betway Premiership, putting themselves in a strong position to finish third on the log, potentially behind Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates.
Silva has been a key contributor to Chiefs' newly found winning streak, scoring two goals in the last two games against Orbit College and TS Galaxy. His goal tally now stands at eight strikes and one assist in 24 games across all competitions so far.
Given that Silva was heavily scrutinised during the pre-season tour of the Netherlands and a subsequent camp in Durban, the Guinea-Bissau international has certainly made his detractors eat humble pie with his recent goal contributions.
However, he has chosen to remain humble during his good run of form, lauding his teammates for their support and stressing that he could not have done it alone.
“It’s all about the team,” Silva told the club media unit on Thursday. “I’ve told my teammates that I can score a lot of goals, but I am not (Lionel) Messi or (Cristiano) Ronaldo, and will dribble past the defenders. I believe in them, but it’s always about the team. I just make my movements.”
Granted, Chiefs’ run of form has brought positivity around the club, with pressure slightly being lifted on the shoulders of co-coaches Ceddric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef, but Silva says they still need to do more.
“I am new here, but before I arrived, I made my analysis of the type of context that I am going to find,” Silva said. “So, I am not 100% satisfied, but it's a better situation now, especially if you check the last seasons.
“The team was struggling to break into the Top 3, so where we are is still not enough. But the minimum we can give to the club is to compete with the other top clubs. We are not there yet, but we are close, so it’s a process for us.”
Chiefs' bid to salvage the season with a CAF qualifying spot will continue on Wednesday night (7.30pm kick-off) when they visit Magesi in a league clash.
The two teams met in the reverse fixture a few weeks ago, with Chiefs running out 1-0 victors – a victory that marked the start of their current purple patch. Silva is not reading too much into that game, though, saying they have a bigger ambition: five wins in succession.
“That’s in the past. We are coming for three points again. We have bigger ambitions, and we want to be happier again tomorrow (on Wednesday),” Silva said.
Chiefs are also wary of the threat that Magesi, nicknamed Dikwena Tsa Metse, will pose as they are desperate for points, currently languishing at the foot of the standings with only seven games left to save their top-flight status.
“We will respect them. We know that they have their own targets,” Silva said. “They want to be in the top-flight of the PSL next season. But we have our own ambitions. We want to be in CAF, so that’s why we want to finish in the Top 3.”