Siphelele Ntshangase of Kaizer Chiefs

Siphelele ​Ntshangase: The forgotten Kaizer Chiefs midfielder must up his game

For over a year now, Siphelele Ntshangase has struggled to cement his place in the Kaizer Chiefs starting line-up. 

This is simply because his work-rate has decreased from the time he was at both Black Leopards and Baroka FC. 

The Amakhosi jersey appears to be heavy for Ntshangase and the expectations from the club supporters have been huge. 

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When the player first joined Chiefs, he was expected to take his football career to greater heights, but he hasn't been close to achieving that.  

Some may say the reason for this is his lack of game time, especially under Ernst Middendorp who is clearly not a big fan of Ntshangase while others suggest he relaxed soon after joining the club. 

Middendorp recently spoke of Ntshangase's exclusion from his team, saying he prefers players who run, defend and attack, and not necessarily someone like the 26-year-old who's only qualities are in passing the ball and entertaining the fans with his dribbling skills and flair. 

Siphelele Ntshangase of Kaizer Chiefs wins the ball from Talent Chawapiwa of Baroka FC

This means Ntshangase would need to change his game to fit in at Middendorp's Chiefs; something the player doesn't seem to want to do at this stage. 

Nonetheless, Middendorp and his technical team should help Ntshangase become the player they want him to be if they still value his contribution to the team. 

At 26, Ntshangase should be in the peak of his career, but he finds himself often kicking his heels on the bench or in the stands. 

He was at one stage, a Bafana regular in tournaments such as the Cosafa and Chan, which should have helped him grow as a player, but being at Chiefs is seemingly holding him back because the coach doesn't believe in him. 

It's fair to say Ntshangase got many chances to really stamp his authority at Chiefs under Steve Komphela and Giovanni Solinas, but in the majority of the games he played, he was never consistent enough which led to certain players overtaking him. 

Overall, he has managed 29 appearances at Amakhosi and registered two assists.

Siphelele Ntshangase, Kaizer Chiefs

As things stand, his career is in decline, and while fingers may point to Middendorp for not affording him enough time to play, Ntshangase must also take part of the blame for not working hard enough. 

It's up to him, and him only to twist Middendorp's arm by raising the standard of his game in order to be considered for future matches. 

Perhaps Ntshangase will come back stronger now that he sees his place in the Chiefs team isn't guaranteed, otherwise loaning him out for a season could do him a world of good and help bring back his confidence.

There is doubt Ntshangase is a great player with huge potential, but if he doesn't improve, he could soon see himself leaving Amakhosi without making any meaningful impact.  

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