Chiefs advised to avoid ‘crisis’ by sticking with Petersen: ‘He was at the centre of success’

Kaizer Chiefs should not consider dropping their captain Brandon Petersen despite his high-profile mistakes, according to their ex-coach Muhsin Ertugral.

The 31-year-old has failed to make seemingly easy saves, sometimes positioning himself poorly. The Glamour Boys, as a result, have dropped six points in the Premier Soccer League, as well as falling in the quarter-final of the MTN8.

Despite that, Ertugral insists Petersen is a critical player for the Soweto giants, especially in the defensive set-up. He argues that a change at the back will affect the other players as well which might take time to adapt.

The veteran tactician has further cautioned that handing Renaldo Leaner or Bruce Bvuma a chance is not a guarantee that things will work as anticipated.

Chiefs warned against dropping Petersen

“Goalkeepers are the pillars in a team, and changing them has never made real sense. We also look at history; a goalkeeper change also changes the behaviour at the back, you can’t see the goalkeepers alone,” Ertugral told Sowetan.

“Chiefs were successful last year as far as defending is concerned [and Petersen was at the centre of that success, keeping 18 clean sheets from 35 games, while conceding 23 in all competitions]; so if you change now, the whole behaviour at the back will change. What if the next one makes a mistake again? Then it’s a crisis, so they [Chiefs] must be careful.

“Last weekend’s mistake [against Polokwane] had more to do with the positioning of the first defender in the first pole. It’s a complex situation, but I can’t stand here and talk on behalf of Chiefs coaches. I respect them, and I know they will find solutions,” he concluded.