Following the news on Tuesday that Kaizer Chiefs will take on SuperSport United in the Carling Knockout Cup, AmaKhosi goalkeeper Brandon Petersen has revealed why new coach Nasreddine Nabi has seemingly turned things around at the Soweto Giants.
Chiefs fell to a 10th place finish in the league last season, but since the arrival of Nabi the consensus is the Glamour Boys will once again be a force to be reckoned with in SA football.
Having won two of their first three Betway Premiership encounters, with the only loss coming against champions Mamelodi Sundowns, there is renewed excitement about the potential of Chiefs.
Petersen was speaking about Nabi after the Carling Knockout Cup draw, with the dates and venues still to be confirmed.
Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Brandon Petersen on coach Nasreddine Nabi. pic.twitter.com/JkfJ0emxOX
— Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) October 8, 2024
‘Coach with principles’
“He Is a coach with principles. He Is a coach that wants you to do what he expects you to do. And he won't expect you to do something that you can’t do,” Petersen.
"He knows the quality we have at Chiefs and he knows each and every player and what he’s capable of. So for me, it's the fact of trying to bring that out of a player. And, when it's time to work, it's time to work. He'll be shouting, he'll be grinding us, but as you can see, it's paying dividends on the field.”
The biggest difference has been at training, as a more regimented approach has been adopted explained Petersen.
“There's time to joke, there's time to have a good time, but when it's working, it’s about working. And I think the switch up we made as players, it's a fine line between going out and having fun and when it's time to work.
“That's the important thing for us this season, we look like we're getting it right. It's making that switch up, when it comes to working, we're working.”