Kaizer Chiefs boss Nasreddine Nabi has explained his bold decision to replace goalkeeper Bruce Bvuma with Brandon Petersen in the Nedbank Cup final against Orlando Pirates on Saturday.
It’s history now that Amakhosi claimed a 2-1 victory over their bitter rivals to end their decade-long trophy drought at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium.
Gaston Sirino and Yusuf Maart scored for the Glamour Boys while Evidence Makgopa scored the only goal for the Sea Robbers.
Nabi surprised many when he dropped under pressure, Bvuma, not only from the starting lineup, but also from the matchday squad.
Despite shaky moments, Bvuma had played 23 consecutive matches for Amakhosi. However, his unsatisfactory performances turned some Chiefs fans against him.
Nabi stated that the decision to drop Bvuma from the team was not an easy one, but they had to make it in order to protect him.
“About Brandon Petersen, we noticed that there was extreme pressure on Bruce Bvuma in the last few weeks,” Nabi said after the game.
“We believe that it was an inhumane amount of pressure on him, and we wanted maybe to protect him, but we also noticed that the three goalkeepers have almost the same level.
“But Brandon Petersen has been training tremendously well with our goalkeeper coach, Ilyes Mzoughi,” he said.
“And don’t think for one minute that this was an easy decision, because it could have gone either way. He concedes a goal, people will say, ‘Why change in the final?’ and things like that.
“But our goalkeeper coach was confident of the work he had put in with Brandon Petersen that he could help us. And we believe that through the 90 minutes, he was an excellent bet.”
Nabi was excited about delivering the Nedbank Cup title for Chiefs in his maiden season in the Premier Soccer League.
The coach hopes this success will help to do his job of taking Amakhosi back to the top of South African football with less pressure.
“It was the first objective for myself, because I came to Kaizer Chiefs for the process to rebuild and help the club return to its original position.
“I’m happy for this trophy today because maybe it will help to continue with the process and maybe help me to get more confidence from the fans and other observers, and for myself and other members of my staff.
“I’m very happy for that, honestly, this cup is very important for my mission.”
The Glamour Boys will return to the Betway Premiership against Sekhukhune United at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane at 15:00.
