Petersen explains secret behind Chiefs’ improved defending

Kaizer Chiefs have started the 2025/26 Premier Soccer League perfectly, claiming maximum points from the two matches played without conceding a goal.

They beat Stellenbosch 2-0 in their opening fixture before another 1-0 win over Polokwane City in the midweek assignment. That was an impressive showing for a team that conceded 32 goals in the 28 league games played in the previous campaign.

The defensive showing by the team has been impressive, and goalkeeper Brandon Petersen has pointed out where the Soweto giants have improved.

Why have Chiefs improved at the back?

“They always say that your defence can win you championships, and I think from the start of pre-season until now, you can see a difference in the way we’re defending – not just our defenders, but as a team, there’s more urgency when we don’t have the ball,” Petersen opened in a presser. 

“There’s more work being done without the ball. And I think that’s very important for us, because we want the ball all the time, but what do we do when we lose the ball?

“So, I think that’s been something that we’ve been working hard on in terms of not conceding goals, and I think the synergy, the understanding, has become much better amongst the players in terms of what we do without the ball,” the custodian added.

‘We want clean sheets and three points!'

“So, this past season, clean sheets, obviously as goalkeepers and defenders, that’s what we want. But I think most importantly for us are the three points. 

“You know, not saying that you should concede five goals and win 6-5, but I think it’s important to have a solid defence, but a solid unit in general, like as a team as a collective, is what is our responsibility without the ball?

“And I think this season, what we’ve shown this far is that the people, the guys can see that that has been letting us down in the past. And we’ve, I think, flipped the switch in terms of doing our job without the ball,” Petersen concluded.

The custodian hopes to get another clean sheet on Tuesday when Amakhosi face Richards Bay at the FNB Stadium in the PSL.