Sheppard says defensive errors and missed chances are costing Kaizer Chiefs wins

Kaizer Chiefs assistant coach Dillon Sheppard says defensive lapses and missed opportunities in attack are behind the club’s failure to turn dominant performances into victories this season.

Chiefs drew 1-1 with Stellenbosch FC at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on Tuesday, their fifth draw in eight matches. Sheppard handled media duties after head coach Fernando Da Cruz was ruled out through illness.

The result extended Chiefs’ run of dropped points, but Sheppard rejected the suggestion that the team is satisfied with drawing matches it should win. Instead, he said costly moments at both ends of the pitch are preventing the Glamour Boys from taking maximum points.

“Yeah, I don’t think it’s a case of settling for one point. If you go game by game, each game has got its different merits and objectives. And obviously we want to win a football game. I think we’re doing enough to win a football game. But if you look at the type of conceding goals that we’re conceding, we’ve got to be better, especially in those defensive moments,” Sheppard said.

Chiefs conceding from a small number of chances

Sheppard pointed to the team’s defensive statistics as evidence that the main problem is not the number of opportunities Chiefs allow opponents to create.

He said teams are scoring too frequently from the relatively few chances they receive, leaving Chiefs exposed despite limiting the overall volume of attacks against them.

“I think the stats are showing us that we’re second or third in conceding chances per game. So when you see those types of stats, we’re not conceding a lot of chances, but the problem is that teams are scoring. So it’s something that we really have to improve on,” he added.

The assistant coach also highlighted missed chances at the other end, with young forward Wandile Duba again failing to convert an opportunity against Stellenbosch FC.

Duba’s inability to take those chances has become a recurring concern for Chiefs supporters. Sheppard suggested the forward could already have been leading the club’s scoring charts had he been more clinical.

“Also, too, with our young attacking force, young [Wandile] Duba gets a chance today again. I mean, he could have taken his tally to be top goalscorer already. But these are things that we keep on working because the only thing you can work on is on the training pitch and trying to improve,” Sheppard said.

Unbeaten record offers limited comfort

Although Chiefs have avoided defeat, Sheppard admitted that the points gained from five draws are not sufficient for a side aiming to compete near the top of the standings.

“The most important thing is that we’re not losing games. So we are picking up points, but it’s not good enough for us. We want to be competing and want to be up there and we need to pick up points,” he concluded.