For Nabi to try and put the cup and league on the same platform in an angry reaction to a question post match is laughable.
Nasreddine Nabi went on the offensive again on Saturday after Kaizer Chiefs’ Betway Premiership draw with Polokwane City meant they have failed to qualify for the MTN8 for the second season in a row.
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The Chiefs head coach pointed to the Nedbank Cup victory as a clear indication of progress since he took over at the start of the campaign.
Chiefs coach Nabi needs more humility
If Nabi stays at Chiefs, it may yet be borne out that the cup win was the start of a successful era for Amakhosi. Right now, however, the Chiefs head coach would be better off showing a bit more humility.
As impressive as Amakhosi’s cup run was – they beat Stellenbosch, Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates en route to the title – league form is universally accepted as the main barometer of a side’s quality.
It is simple maths that over 30 games (28 this season thanks to the Royal AM fiasco) you are going to get a better idea of a side’s abilities.
So for Nabi to try and put the cup and league on the same platform in an angry reaction to a question post match is laughable.
Last season, Chiefs ended the season tenth in the table, with 36 points from 30 matches. This season they have ended on 32 points from 28 matches.
At best, under Nabi Chiefs have gone nowhere in the Premiership. The glum faces of Kaizer Chiefs sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jnr and football manager Bobby Motaung in the director’s box on Saturday said plenty about their thoughts.
Despite a host of new signings, Chiefs won just eight of their league games, one less than they won last season.
Nabi deserves a second season to try and turn it around. The cup win is certainly noteworthy, also taking Amakhosi into next season’s Caf Confederation Cup.
The Tunisian has also been consistent in talking incessantly about a ‘process’ at Chiefs, even in the aftermath of the Nedbank Cup victory.
A Nabi conundrum
But to continue the process their needs to be realism. Chiefs are the most popular side in the country, they have more resources than most, and they should not be finishing in the bottom half of the table. It is as simple as that.
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For this reason it will not exactly be surprising if Chiefs management do bring the axe down on Nabi, as the Sunday Times reported recently.
Nabi should have done better in the Premiership, and a simple acknowledgement of this would go a long way.
