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Despite Kaizer Chiefs’ struggles in front of goal this season, acting coach Cavin Johnson still feels there’s no need for a new striker in the transfer window starting this week.
Ranga Chivaviro scored only his second goal for Amakhosi last night as they played to a 1-1 draw against Sekhukhune United at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
Christian Saile, who has featured in 20 matches – more than all the other strikers in Naturena this season, has scored only three goals, while Jansond Gonzalez has yet to open his account in 10 appearances so far.
Johnson instead wants to focus on improving his current strikers’ returns.
"Ranga scores today, Gonzalez is trying his best, but when you look at the 10 points [in the last four matches] – and you look at where the goals are coming from, they coming from all over the place," said Johnson.
"I always say it doesn't matter where the goals come from as long as they come. If you look at how [Pule] Mmodi scored his goal, how 'Mshini' [Nkosingiphile Ngcobo] scored his goal, it's because of the movement of the strikers.
"So, the strikers might not score the goals, but they do the movement, and when they do the movement and the other players score the goals, then for me it's a plus.
"So, no, I don't think I'm going to try and find a striker [in the January transfer window]; I think I'm going to try and make these players better – I hope I can."
After a stuttering start for Johnson at Chiefs, in which they lost two matches to Golden Arrows and Orlando Pirates, the coach, who was brought in to head up the club’s academy, looks back with pride at his run of four wins, one draw, and two losses since taking over the temporary reins in October.
"I think ending the year on the amount of points we have [24 from 16 matches], considering where we come from, I think that in itself is good for the team, the players, for the fact that they've really worked hard over the last two months I'm here," he added.
"And we've collected as much [points] as we can, we said this was the final and we had to win the final today – we didn't win the final, but finals are always played over two halves, so this is the first half, and we'll wait for the second half next year."
