The eloquent Steve Komphela struggles to put together a sentence that perfectly describes Wiseman Meyiwa without getting excited.
The teenager from Dambuza in Pietermaritzburg‚ who turns 18 in December‚ has impressed in the junior national teams and Kaizer Chiefs’ reserve side.
His performances earned him promotion to the first team and Komphela has promised to unleash Meyiwa in the upcoming season.
“You know how old he is? 18 but he has been to two World Cups (the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups)‚” Komphela said.
“(He is a) top dog. Wizo (Willard Katsande) has been playing there (in central midfield) and doing a great job. But I have never seen a youngster playing two matches‚ 90 minutes each‚ without committing an error.
"That’s impossible! (But Meyiwa has done that). Top dog! We are going to unleash him. We will build on what Katsande has done‚ but Meyiwa is our future.
"His maturity‚ how he manages the area‚ his passes and his intelligence‚ they’re out of this world. He plays one-two touches for 90 minutes. I am getting goose bumps by just thinking about it.”
Komphela will gradually introduce the youngster to protect him from the demands and pressure that Chiefs is under after two barren seasons.
His introduction into the first team setup should appease the people who have criticised Amakhosi for not promoting enough players from their academy.
“The pressure at Chiefs is different‚” Komphela said.
“You can have one hell of a quality player who comes here‚ you throw him at the deep end and he is consumed.
"He’s gone for good. You need to find a very smart way of integrating a player from junior to the senior team without losing them.
"A lot of things change when you become a first team player for Chiefs‚ from a financial point of view‚ to the limelight and the pressure that comes with it.
"These are kids‚ sometimes we don’t give them enough tools to deal with these things.”
Chiefs will continue to fine-tune their preparations for the 2017/18 season with a clash with Orlando Pirates in the Carling Black Label Champion Cup at FNB Stadium on Saturday in front of a sold-out crowd.
“If you’re at Chiefs and you get nothing‚ it doesn’t sit well with everyone associated with the club‚” Komphela said.
“Even if it’s an improvement from the previous season (having finished one place higher last season) it doesn’t matter.
"The small positive steps that we achieved count for nothing if there is no trophy. But you personally as a human being‚ it’s growth.
"The greatest growth happens in discomfort. You want to grow more‚ expect more pressure. If you don’t want to grow‚ sit home‚ relax and don’t accept pressure. I am not the same person that I was before I came here.” - TimesLIVE
Steve Komphela salivating at the prospect of unleashing new Kaizer Chiefs teenage sensation
The eloquent Steve Komphela struggles to put together a sentence that perfectly describes Wiseman Meyiwa without getting excited.
The teenager from Dambuza in Pietermaritzburg‚ who turns 18 in December‚ has impressed in the junior national teams and Kaizer Chiefs’ reserve side.
His performances earned him promotion to the first team and Komphela has promised to unleash Meyiwa in the upcoming season.
“You know how old he is? 18 but he has been to two World Cups (the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups)‚” Komphela said.
“(He is a) top dog. Wizo (Willard Katsande) has been playing there (in central midfield) and doing a great job. But I have never seen a youngster playing two matches‚ 90 minutes each‚ without committing an error.
"That’s impossible! (But Meyiwa has done that). Top dog! We are going to unleash him. We will build on what Katsande has done‚ but Meyiwa is our future.
"His maturity‚ how he manages the area‚ his passes and his intelligence‚ they’re out of this world. He plays one-two touches for 90 minutes. I am getting goose bumps by just thinking about it.”
Komphela will gradually introduce the youngster to protect him from the demands and pressure that Chiefs is under after two barren seasons.
His introduction into the first team setup should appease the people who have criticised Amakhosi for not promoting enough players from their academy.
“The pressure at Chiefs is different‚” Komphela said.
“You can have one hell of a quality player who comes here‚ you throw him at the deep end and he is consumed.
"He’s gone for good. You need to find a very smart way of integrating a player from junior to the senior team without losing them.
"A lot of things change when you become a first team player for Chiefs‚ from a financial point of view‚ to the limelight and the pressure that comes with it.
"These are kids‚ sometimes we don’t give them enough tools to deal with these things.”
Chiefs will continue to fine-tune their preparations for the 2017/18 season with a clash with Orlando Pirates in the Carling Black Label Champion Cup at FNB Stadium on Saturday in front of a sold-out crowd.
“If you’re at Chiefs and you get nothing‚ it doesn’t sit well with everyone associated with the club‚” Komphela said.
“Even if it’s an improvement from the previous season (having finished one place higher last season) it doesn’t matter.
"The small positive steps that we achieved count for nothing if there is no trophy. But you personally as a human being‚ it’s growth.
"The greatest growth happens in discomfort. You want to grow more‚ expect more pressure. If you don’t want to grow‚ sit home‚ relax and don’t accept pressure. I am not the same person that I was before I came here.” - TimesLIVE
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