Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Brandon Petersen has delved into how they are defending better this season, saying the importance of defending as a team can win you titles.
Chiefs kept a clean sheet last weekend against Stellenbosch FC and hope to get more of those this season after struggling in 2025/26 which saw them conceding 32 goals in 28 league matches.
Petersen mentioned that this season they are defending more as a team and they are working more harder when they don’t have the ball. Amakhosi will aim to keep yet another clean sheet when they face Polokwane City at FNB Stadium on Wednesday.
“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 told the media.
“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.
“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.”
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