After a two-month hiatus, the South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) resumed last weekend.
Kaizer Chiefs defender, Zitha Kwinika, discussed the challenges of such a long break for professional footballers. Kwinika noted that taking a three-week break affects a player’s performance when they have to play an official game.
He added that the team’s momentum will start to build up after they opened the season with a 2-0 win over Golden Arrows on New Year’s Eve.
“As a footballer, once you take a three weeks break, now you have to go play an official game it plays a difference,” Kwinika said at the club’s headquarters. “A training match and an official game are not the same. So after this game you’ll see the pace will go up, the understanding, so I think the momentum will keep on going. Because the more you play the more you get better.”
The Chiefs have been keeping clean-sheets lately, as they went to the break with a 1-0 win over Orlando Pirates and also did not concede in a win over Arrows. Kwinika was quick to point out that defending is a whole team effort and not just the responsibility of the defence.
“I think I once said this, defending is not only about the defence, me or Dove, but its the whole team, the whole group, the whole setup,” Kwinika said.
“I think now it’s the team effort, defending from the top, to the back because sometimes conceding is not only about maybe people going past, set-plays and everyone has to play a role and I think now the whole team understands the role one needs to play.”
He concluded by saying that as defenders, their job is to try and do it properly. Kaizer Chiefs will hope to continue their impressive defensive record as the PSL continues.
Kaizer Chiefs players Keagan Dolly and Zitha Kwinika on helping youngsters in the team. pic.twitter.com/xGhFK4FkzK
— Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) January 5, 2023
