Even offering some isiZulu, Miguel settling at Chiefs, eager for Sundowns test

Kaizer Chiefs' new Angolan international centreback Inácio Miguel has wasted no time in settling at Naturena, scoring his first goal and providing an assist in his club's second league game against AmaZulu.

Miguel continued to win admirers among Chiefs' faithful as his tough, uncompromising defence and ability to threaten at set pieces earned him the man-of-the-match award in Amakhosi's 3-1 Betway Premiership win against Usuthu.

The defender, who joined Chiefs on a free transfer from Petro de Luanda, is looking forward to playing in the biggest match since his arrival in the Premiership blockbuster against Mamelodi Sundowns at FNB Stadium on Saturday (3pm).

So settled is Miguel in South Africa that he surprised members of the fourth estate at the pre-match press conference in Midrand in Johannesburg on Thursday when he greeted them in isiZulu — impressive for someone who has been in the country for less than two months.

“Ngiyabonga kakhulu, aah ngiyaphila [Thank you very much, I'm fine],” the 28-year-old said, greeting the press.

Miguel's tidy defending alongside Rushwin Dortley at the heart of the defence has also been welcomed by Amakhosi supporters hungry for success after seeing their club failing to collect a trophy in the past nine years.

“It was easy to adapt,” Miguel said. “The lads received me well.

“Everyone, teammates and all the structures of Kaizer Chiefs, from the kitchen to security, have given me a warm welcome. I'm grateful for that and I'm trying to repay that with maximum performance for the team.”

Having played a few times against Sundowns in the Champions League for Petro, Saturday's game will see Miguel venturing into the unknown. He wants to help Amakhosi arrest a string of defeats against Sundowns that include four in their past four league encounters.

“I have huge respect for Sundowns. They have a talented squad and not only the 11 players they start with. Last year we [Petro] had bad moments with them — we played 0-0 at home though they got a red card [Petro lost 2-1 on aggregate in their Champions League quarterfinal].

“We at Kaizer Chiefs have something to say also. We're in the middle of a process, not thinking of the future but of the present. We're focused on what we can do on Saturday and we have to focus on ourselves, not Sundowns.”

The Sundowns match will provide a far tougher test of the progress made under Nasreddine Nabi than what Chiefs experienced against Gallants and AmaZulu. Miguel said he's got nothing to worry about, though he understands the fans' expectations after a good start under the new Tunisian coach.

While Chiefs started well against AmaZulu, sprinting to a 3-0 lead in the first 25 minutes, their second half was not convincing, allowing Usuthu to score and hit the post twice.

“That's the nature of football players — when they [players] are leading 3-0 they start to drop,” Miguel said.

“The message I tried to pass to the boys is we cannot relax even if it's AmaZulu or Mamelodi Sundowns. It doesn't matter the team, we have to be focused for 90 minutes.”   

Miguel's partnership with another hugely promising signing, new Bafana centreback Dortley, looks to be progressing well, with two goals conceded in two matches. The Angolan gave credit to former Cape Town Spurs defender Dortley.

“I'm happy to have Dortley by my side. He's a young talented boy but he has fantastic qualities. One of the most important things about Dortley is he listens, he's a humble boy. He wants to learn and he wants to improve.

“He will go far if he keeps learning, remains humble and performing at a high level, even with Bafana. It's a long way to go but I believe in him and I try to give him confidence that he has to believe in himself.”