Miguel On Silva: You Have To Adapt To Chiefs Quickly Or Else…
Inacio Miguel, Kaizer Chiefs’ newly appointed captain, has shared some words of wisdom with new signing Flavio Silva, advising him to adapt to the club’s existing players rather than expecting the reverse.
Silva, who will wear jersey number 77, joined Chiefs as one of six new players this pre-season, arriving from Indonesian side Persebaya Surabaya on a two-year deal.
The 29-year-old, a Guinea-Bissau native and former Portugal U/19 international, scored nine goals in 33 matches across all competitions for Surabaya last term.
However, during the pre-season in the Netherlands, Chiefs fans appeared to be unconvinced by Silva’s performance, comparing him to past signings who failed to make the grade at the club.
“You have to understand that when you come to Kaizer Chiefs, the club doesn’t have to adapt to the player; the player has to adapt to the club,” Miguel stated.
“So, the most important thing that I told Flavio: ‘Don’t expect anyone to adapt to you. You have to adapt to the new country, to every player, you have to adapt to the fans. It’s a huge responsibility, not a pressure.'”
He continued, “And I always tell him not to take it as pressure because we are privileged to be playing football. Take it as a responsibility. The biggest thing now for Flavio or the new players is they need to adapt, not the club.”
Miguel’s Captaincy and Season Outlook
Miguel, who was also born in Portugal and shares a language with Silva, had a challenging day during the Toyota Cup match against Asante Kotoko at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.
He missed a penalty in the 85th minute that could have secured the win, and then missed another during the post-match penalty shootout, in which they lost, after the game ended goalless in 90 minutes.
The 29-year-old Miguel was given the captain’s armband in all matches during the off-season, including the Kotoko game, replacing Yusuf Maart, who has since moved to Austrian side SV Ried.
When asked if he’s ready for the responsibility of leading the team next season, Miguel responded, “Of course, Yusuf Maart was one of our leaders. But it wasn’t just Maart; others also played their part. But we have to make a change, and I hope we can work well with the new players.”
