Kaizer Chiefs assistant coach Khalil Ben Youssef believes psychologist Dr. Henning Gericke has done his best to improve the mental state of striker Ranga Chivaviro.
The former Marumo Gallants forward has not had a smooth time at the club, always struggling to score goals. It explains why the club acted by signing Tashreeq Morris and Glody Makapi Lilepo to solve the problem. Christian Saile was also loaned to SuperSport United for the remainder of the season.
However, Chivaviro was on target last weekend in the club's 4-0 win over Free Agents in the Nedbank Cup's Round of 32.
Chivaviro back ahead of crucial Soweto Derby?
Ben Khalil, who was on the touchline thanks to Nasreddine Nabi's suspension, believes the goal will give the 32-year-old much-needed confidence ahead of the crucial Soweto Derby, on Saturday, against old rivals Orlando Pirates.
“For sure this goal will help him, last time Ranga was unlucky, he missed a lot of goals and you know strikers when they don't score. Like I said last time, we work a lot with him even our mental coach, he works with him a lot,” he told the media.
“I think now with his goal he can help him a lot and we need him, the season is long. So, we need all the players, I think with this goal Ranga will come back.”
Former Springboks technical team member lauded
Ben Youssef has further underlined the importance of Gericke not only to Chivaviro, but other players at large, “For sure, we are at the high level now before the head coach he does everything. He's a head coach, he's a fitness coach, he's an assistant coach, now step by step even at the high level there is specialty.
“So, we have a head coach, we have an assistant coach, we have a fitness coach and also we have a mental coach. He helps us a lot if someone has a problem in the pitch or a problem outside the pitch with family or something, he can arrange with him.
“We have meetings every day, sometimes we advise him about some players to organise meetings with them. Sometimes he makes reports for us about some players and also the profile of the players in terms of communication, some players you have to shout at them, some players you have to speak with them like young players.
“Some players you have to make individual meetings in order to correct them so for that it's very important to make different profiles for the players, then it makes it easy for us to communicate with them,” Ben Youssef concluded.
