Kaizer Chiefs legend Itumeleng Khune has slammed the low standards of goalkeeping at his former club where all three custodians have been used this season.
Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi has had to chop and change his goalkeepers, starting the season with new signing Fiacre Ntwari, before Brandon Petersen came in, after which he gave way to Bruce Bvuma.
Ntwari played five league games, Petersen three, while Bvuma has been in goal for 16 matches but none of them has covered himself in glory as Chiefs are still struggling to keep clean sheets with the goalkeepers also making some errors.
Khune feels Chiefs are yet to fill his big shoes and wants them to get a reliable goalkeeper that can play consistently as the options they currently have are not good enough.
Khune not holding back against Chiefs’ keepers
“After me, yes, they need to go get a goalkeeper that can give them straight 30 games in the league, that can play all the cups and even win cups for the club,” Khune told iDiski Times.
“A seasonal goalkeeper who can play all matches in a season. But now, what’s been happening, they’ve only played 24 games, but they’ve already used all their goalkeepers, and they are not consistent at all. Goalkeepers have been coming in, playing two, or three games and six, seven goals conceded, that’s not Kaizer Chiefs standard, unfortunately.”
Khune, who spent 25 years at Chiefs and won 12 trophies, including three PSL titles, has listed the qualities he wants to see in a goalkeeper at the club, things he has not seen from either Ntwari, Petersen or Bvuma.
“You need a goalkeeper who’s reliable, who is strong physically, mentally, emotionally, and that can carry the team and even inspire the team,” he added.
Which shot-stopper should Amakhosi get?
“But I haven’t seen that since the start of the season unfortunately, but in all fairness, yes, I’ve had my fair share. I’ve enjoyed every moment I’ve had with the club.
“Every time I wore the jersey, I knew what it took for me to perform on the field, to win the hearts of the Amakhosi faithful and I was rewarded by being number one, also playing 30 games season in season out, playing for Bafana at big competitions.
“And I didn’t complain about fatigue. I didn’t complain about anything, because that’s the only chance you get, and you don’t want after retirement to look back and regret it.”
Chiefs have kept just nine clean sheets across all competitions this season, seven in 24 league matches, which has contributed to their eighth place on the PSL table.
While the defence has also been blamed for the poor defensive record, the goalkeeping changes have not helped the situation as they have denied the team and the back four the much-needed continuity, assurance and confidence.
