Peter Shalulile has fired blanks during Mamelodi Sundowns’ opening two DStv Premiership matches, but coach Rulani Mokwena is optimistic their hitman will find scoring form soon.

Shalulile, who was last season’s leading goal scorer in the league, failed to get on the scoresheet during the 3-0 win over Cape Town City and in the 1-0 loss to TS Galaxy.

The Brazilians now take on Amakhosi at Loftus, where Shalulile may play a huge attacking role for the home side as they look to bounce back from defeat to Galaxy.

“We all know Peter has got goals. Before we start writing columns and articles, I think you guys know he will score,” said Mokwena, adding that Shalulile’s engine is just “warming up”.

“Before we criticise him, let’s wait, let’s give him a little bit more time to get the engine going. It’s a slow start, but he will get goals and that I can guarantee you.”

Mokwena said Chiefs have gone through a huge transformation over the past few months under coach Arthur Zwane and are relying on younger players.

“There is a huge metamorphosis, [it] is not even a change, it’s like the team had got different direction. Particularly from the vision that they have set, their activity in the transfer market is also to get younger players such as Dillon Solomons.

“They also promote and give opportunities to Bruce Bvuma and Mduduzi Shabalala and that is the direction they have taken, and it is a direction they have not taken in a very long time.

“If you look at the past three coaches they had, there would have been a huge reliance on players such as Ramahlwe Mphahlele, Bernard Parker, Eric Mathoho, but it looks like the cycle is changing.

“It is changing from how the vision has been set from the top, and therefore that influences a lot more things, like the selection of the coach Arthur Zwane, who knows the DNA of the club.

“He played for the club, he worked in the academy structures and he worked as an assistant to many of the coaches that have been mentioned. You have seen [the] transfer market, even when the bigger players are available they have resorted to Yusuf Maart and Ashley du Preez, for example, who are relatively younger than what would be available for Chiefs in a normal context of things a couple of years ago.

“It is interesting to see and it is good for SA football, because they are a big club, they have a good coach, they have an extremely good squad. They will be able to play the game they speak about, high octane, aggressive, pressing.

“You see the goals against Maritzburg, if Yusuf Maart jumped out of the midfield and was persistent with the press, then maybe there is no mistake.”

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