19th February 2024
Bafana managed to secure third place in the recently concluded AFCON.
Johnson, speaking to the media after their goalless draw against Royal AM at the Harry Gwala Stadium says they need to strengthen the local league.
''Well done to Bafana, I think it is something we can build on. As Kaizer Chiefs we want to build our brand locally, so that we have a strong pull of players locally. The competition needs to be good, it will help the national team coach when he picks his players for national duty. We need to up our game as far as the Premier Soccer League [PSL] is concerned,'' said Johnson.
Kaizer Chiefs did not have any players in the AFCON Bafana squad and Johnson believes they have quality players they however need consistency in their performance.
Amakhosi suspended Itumeleng Khune towards the end of the first round. The coach gave an update on the long-serving player in the team while giving more analysis on their wasteful draw against Royal AM.
''It is still the same situation you find in the media. This is the kind of performance you expect towards the end of the season, but we take the one point and move onto the next one,'' added Johnson.
Amakhosi striker Ashley Du Preez made his return to the team, following his time off due to an injury. He missed a few chances, which would've given the Chiefs three points.
Coach Johnson gave his assessment of his performance on the day.
''Ashley did put on a good shift, I expected him to score the goals, he is a goal-scorer - but he unfortunately didn't. But he just came back and he looks good,'' he concluded.
Kaizer Chiefs recorded their fourth draw of the season, Johnson admitted that the club needs a lot of work to be done. He also felt that the man of the match that was given to Royal AM goalkeeper Hugo Nyama, said a lot about their performance.
This was the first game of the year following a long break, Johnson says friendlies and official games are different.
There were lessons learned against Royal AM which are different from the friendlies they played during the AFCON break.