After conceding four goals against Mamelodi Sundowns in the Carling Knockout quarter-finals on Saturday, coach Nasreddine Nabi finds himself in a difficult position regarding his first-choice goalkeeper, Fiacre Ntwari.
As previously reported by Soccer Laduma, the technical team had been contemplating benching the Rwandan international but decided against it for the Sundowns game.
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Now, Siya sources close to the club have indicated that the goalkeeper coach Ilyes Mzoughi and Nabi are understood to have had a meeting to discuss the best way forward to solve the goalkeeping situation.
"They don't feel it's a matter of replacing one goalkeeper for the other but rather looking at improving the team's performance. If benching Ntwari, who has been tipped as the first choice, would bring that change in fortune then the coach is looking at that possibility. They looked into it after the Magesi game but they felt it was not necessary but after the Sundowns game the feeling is different," said the Siya source.
"But that places the coach between a hard place and a rock because for him Ntwari is the first choice and a better performer in training than the other four goalkeepers including the DDC one. But now they have agreed that they have to make a decision which will benefit the team and try other goalkeepers sooner rather than later," the source added.
A second insider stated that since Brandon Peterson didn't play much last season and is recovering from an injury, Bruce Bvuma could be the replacement for Ntwari.
"They are looking at how they can introduce Bruce (Bvuma). He hasn't played an official game so far this season and that would also be a factor and that's why they are looking at how best they can solve the goalkeeping situation. Whether to give Ntwari time to adjust or try Bvuma and see what happens. That's the hard decision the coach and his technical team are faced with when the team returns to action," the second insider stated.
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This next match will be on the 27th of November against Richards Bay in a Betway Premiership league encounter.
This publication reached out to Chiefs for comment, but there was no response at the time of publishing.
As Chiefs prepare for their next match against Richards Bay, Nabi faces a crucial decision regarding the goalkeeping position. With the team's performance at stake, fans will be eager to see how this situation unfolds and whether a change in goalkeeper can bring about the desired improvement.
