Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Bruce Bvuma has been struggling to keep clean sheets for the Soweto giants.
The 28-year-old has conceded 21 goals in the 20 games he has played, a stat that can't impress the club's supporters. Bvuma has been making avoidable blunders, with the latest one coming last weekend in the 2-1 loss against Marumo Gallants.
The Glamour Boys are playing Orlando Pirates in the Premier Soccer League and Nedbank Cup Soweto Derbies, respectively. The Buccaneers legend Innocent Mayoyo has urged coach Nasreddine Nabi to retain Bvuma in goal ahead of the forthcoming assignments.
‘To be better, a keeper has to play every match'
“During our generation, and even during Itumeleng Khune's time, we were able to improve due to the lessons learned from our errors. Ronwen Williams conceded five goals in his first game for Bafana Bafana against Brazil. Many believed he should have been dropped immediately after that match,” Mayoyo told SNL24.
“The only way to become an experienced goalkeeper is by playing in every match, not by sitting on the bench. Playing consistently helps you grow. In Bvuma's case, we need to consider several factors. First, who is coaching the goalkeepers at Kaizer Chiefs? Does that person even know who ‘Banks’ Setlhodi is?
“It’s challenging to inspire your players to play for the badge when they're being trained by someone who lacks knowledge about the history and significance of that badge. How can you coach players effectively if you can't communicate with them?”
‘Goalkeepers alone are not to blame’
Chiefs started the season with Fiacre Ntwari before Brandon Petersen took over. However, the duo were prone to mistakes, which invited Bvuma. Mayoyo says custodians can't be blamed for what is happening, but the entire team.
“Bvuma deserves a chance on Saturday so he can learn from his mistakes. In fact, he is the best goalkeeper among their current options. This season, they've rotated all their goalkeepers, which indicates that the goalkeepers alone are not to blame. The entire team is facing issues.
“Yes, Bvuma has made mistakes, such as parrying balls into dangerous areas, but how did those balls even reach him when both teams have 10 [in-field] players each? In my opinion, the entire Kaizer Chiefs team is simply weak,” Mayoyo concluded.
Chiefs are currently ninth on the PSL table and a loss on Saturday might badly hurt their chances of playing MTN8 next season.
