Kaizer Chiefs centre-back Zitha Kwinika believes Amakhosi can improve their defending if they maintain the ‘defending from the top to the back’ strategy.
Kwinika has since established himself as a defence mainstay since his arrival from Stellenbosch last year.
However, he has been criticised by former Chiefs star Morgan Gould for making too many mistakes at critical moments.
However, the 28-year-old has remained on coach Arthur Zwane‘s preferred list since joining the club. He initially partnered with Siyabonga Ngezana and, most recently, Edmilson Dove.
Chiefs conceded two goals in the last five matches, where they also scored five times in the DStv Premiership.
That, for Kwinika, is a sign of improvement. At the end of last year, they had the worst defensive record among the top five teams.
KAIZER CHIEFS SHOWING SIGNS OF IMPROVEMENT
“I think I once said that defending is not about the defence or me or Dove [Edmilson], but the whole team,” said Kwinika.
“That is the whole group, the entire set-up, it’s the team effort; we must be defending from the top to the back because sometimes conceding is not about having people, giving passes, set plays, but everyone needs to play a role in defending.
“Now the whole team understands the role they need to play. Obviously, for us defenders, it’s our job, and we are trying, by all means, to do it properly.
The former Chippa United star reckons their next match against Sekhukhune will be a litmus test for their defence mechanism.
Meanwhile, there is potential that Chiefs can bolster their defence, having registered their interest in the lanky SuperSport United defender Luke Fleurs.
So far, they have been tight-lipped regarding their interests in Fleurs. But it’ll be no surprise if they eventually sign the highly-rated defender.
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