Snl24 | The Curious Case Of Shalulile: What’s Gone Wrong?

Mamelodi Sundowns striker Peter Shalulile has been struggling with his form in front of goal.

Peter Shalulile is not the first and definitely won’t be the last striker to go through a slump in front of goal, but a former striker has emphasised the importance of Mamelodi Sundowns coaches not turning their back on the Namibian striker. 

Shalulile’s dip in form is not a recent thing. Last season was not the best of seasons for the former Highlands Park forward. He banged in 15 goals in all competitions, but he was not the lethal marksman many had come to know in the Sundowns jersey.

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There was period during last season when he went seven matches without a goal in the league. In the Champions League, he scored just three times in 11 matches. By his standards, the season he had last term was not good enough. 

This season, the 30-year-old is yet to rattle the back of the net, but former Sundowns striker Sandile Ndlovu, who knows what it’s like to have a slump in front of goal, feels there is no reason to panic. It’s the coaches who have a big role to play to ensure he does not feel disregarded, especially with new man Iqraam Rayners coming in from Stellenbosch FC during the transfer window period. 

“Sometimes coaches go with their instincts. They have signed Rayners from Stellenbosch and there is Ribeiro. If coach Mngqithi’s instincts tell him to play Rayners or Ribeiro, then Shalulile should wait for his chance. You’ve seen different things happening at Sundowns. The likes of Mudau and Mokoena are not playing. Everyone should be on their toes, but the coach should not forget about Shalulile. He must keep on encouraging him at training because I know some coaches can shift their focus away from you when another striker starts scoring. They focus on the striker who is scoring. I’ve experienced that, so they must encourage him and he must always feel that he is the same Shalulile who was scoring goals,” Ndlovu said. 

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“Strikers go through periods like this, but one thing to keep him going is to keep on scoring at training. That’s important for strikers. I am coach now and I like strikers who miss chances because once his luck of scoring comes back, then I think he will score lots of goals. I don’t think he should panic. He should just keep training well and scoring in training and his confidence will come back. He must just relax and keep working hard,” Ndlovu said to the Siya crew. 

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