Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi made a surprising call on Saturday in the Nedbank Cup final against Orlando Pirates at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
The Tunisian with his Amakhosi troops needed a win to end the decade-long trophy drought. A win would also relieve the pressure the technical team and players have been facing owing to a poor Premier Soccer League campaign.
Among the departments that have not been doing well is the goalkeeping one. Fiacre Ntwari, Brandon Petersen and Fiacre Ntwari have not been consistent. But it is Bvuma who looked solid and won Nabi's heart. Prior to the game against Bucs, he had played 23 games for the Glamour Boys.
However, he made some questionable decisions in recent Premier Soccer League matches against Marumo Gallants and Orlando Pirates respectively. Nabi made a big call on Saturday, replacing Bvuma with Petersen.
Bvuma's performances could be affected
“I knew that you were going to start with this question. We have been having rotation on our goalkeepers, first it was Ntwari, and now Petersen. Petersen has been training extremely well,” the Tunisian responded when he was asked by SABC1 about the change he had made.
“His ability in the air and we have noticed that Bruce has had an enormous amount of pressure in the previous which could affect his performances negatively.
“We want to protect him, and we believe that at this moment the best choice is Petersen.”
Petersen went on to pull up top saves in the Nedbank Cup final that ensured Amakhosi won 2-1 and won silverware for the first time in a decade.
