Kaizer Chiefs coach Molefi Ntseki has already made one change seemingly aimed at fixing a mistake from last season.
Amakhosi had a disappointing 2022/23 PSL season and finished fifth in the DStv Premiership. The Soweto giants failed to end their trophy drought and will be hoping to improve on that.
The club appointed Ntseki as head coach, with the task to guide them back to the top. Although it’s early days, the former Bafana Bafana mentor has done one thing slightly different from last season.
Former Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper William Shongwe believes last season’s rotation system in the goalkeeping department didn’t help the club.
WHAT MISTAKE DID KAIZER CHIEFS MAKE LAST SEASON?
“The rotation system doesn’t work for goalkeepers but can work for infield players. The goalkeeping position is too complicated, and so many factors must be considered,” Shongwe told FARPost.
“The more games you play, the more comfortable you feel. The more comfortable you feel, the better you handle the situations in front of you. They’re not strange to you. Unlike when you play once in a while. Everything is strange around you, which causes the panic, and you’re found to make mistakes.”
He is convinced that what forced Arthur Zwane, who was at the helm last season, to rotate the goalkeepers is because they weren’t consistent in their performances.
“So, they were forced to, now and then, try this one and that one, and the season was running away and pressure mounting to get results. So, there was no time for the goalkeepers to settle,” Shongwe added.
Brandon Petersen played 20 games in all competitions [16 in the league, four in the Nedbank Cup and one in the MTN8]. Veteran goalie Itumeleng Khune played 13 games [11 in the league and two in the MTN8]. Bruce Bvuma played only four games in the league.
This season, Ntseki has only used Petersen in the opening three games of the season. He guarded goals in the goalless draw against Chippa United, the 2-1 loss to Sundowns and the 2-1 win over Cape Town City on Sunday.
Club captain Itumeleng Khune has been left out of the team, with Petersen getting the nod. Bvuma has deputized the former Ajax Cape Town goalie.
NTSEKI STICKING WITH BRANDON PETERSEN
“I’m happy with Brandon’s mistake in that game against Sundowns. I’m happy they didn’t change him. He looked way better in that game in Cape Town,” added Shongwe.“ You can see he was able to recover from that. Right now, he’s in the highest possible condition of confidence after that recovery. So, I’d say stick with him for the long run.
“All eyes are on him. The vote of confidence he showed, regardless of the howler, tells the story that he is the man. That, for him, must be a big boost. It must put him in a position that he works the hardest to make sure he doesn’t drop the ball any further.”
RELATED STORY: Brandon Petersen opens up on rivalry with Chiefs ‘legend’ Itumeleng Khune
