Let’s be clear, Nabi was brought to Chiefs in an effort to knock the record-breaking Brazilians off their perch.
I couldn’t help but shake my head listening to Nasreddine Nabi ranting about Kaizer Chiefs being a project.
I was bewildered because he was preaching to the converted. No one expected Amakhosi to be a quick fix as rebuilding requires time. However, the building blocks of every project must have a clear identity.
ALSO READ: Will new City coach Ertugral get one over former team Chiefs?
In the process of building, there should be long and short-term goals. At this point, only a few can guess what Nabi’s goals are this season. He signed some really experienced players like Gaston Sirino, Inácio Miguel, Fiacre Ntwari and Njabulo Bloem before the season started.
There were other additions of established PSL players in the form of Rushwin Dortley and Bradley Cross. These were solid signings, and it’s understandable why Chiefs fans had high expectations of the new era under the Tunisian coach.
As much as he wants time to assemble a team that is able to compete with Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates, some results have not inspired confidence.
Let’s be clear, Nabi was brought to Chiefs in an effort to knock the record-breaking Brazilians off their perch. The Soweto giants didn’t break the bank for him and his technical team to be fighting for a top eight position.
Success at the Naturena-based club is measured by trophies, and not only that, the football has to be pleasing to the eye too. At the moment, Nabi hasn’t been able to deliver on the two aforementioned non-negotiables. Losses to SuperSport United and Polokwane City won’t buy the outspoken coach the time he needs.
It’s hard to convince anyone of a long-term project after recording disappointing draws against Magesi FC, Royal AM, and TS Galaxy. These kinds of results are what will ultimately have fans turning on the 59-year-old if the team doesn’t go on a run of convincing wins.
Nine seasons without a trophy is nothing to be proud of and it’s funny to me that Nabi thinks time is on his side. The football itself hasn’t been particularly great either and that should be a concern as well. The leaky defence should come for some special attention if Nabi wants to see his project through.
Chiefs’ return of 13 goals conceded in 10 games is perhaps the biggest threat to this project. They threw away a 2-0 lead against Royal AM, and that is not good enough because results like that could prove to be costly in the long run. Under any circumstances, two goals should be enough to win a football match for any top PSL team.
ALSO READ: Ex-Chiefs, Sundowns star Billiat finds new home
While we can all agree that every coach needs to be given time to implement their ideas, Nabi needs to also wake up to the harsh reality that his tenure hasn’t gotten off to the best possible start and questions will be asked about the direction the club is taking.
Chiefs are arguably the biggest club in the PSL and leading them comes with a certain level of scrutiny. The direction of Nabi’s project must take shape sooner than later or tough questions will have to be asked on whether he’s up for this mammoth task.
