Chiefs’ head coach certainly deserves time to build an Amakhosi side in his image, but notes of real concern are starting to surface.
It is safe to say the honeymoon is well and truly over for Nasreddine Nabi and Kaizer Chiefs. A promising start to the season is threatening to descend into the kind of mediocrity that has been all too common with Chiefs over the last decade.
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Sunday’s 2-0 defeat to Polokwane City at the Peter Mokaba Stadium was Chiefs’ third Betway Premiership loss of the campaign, to go with three wins and one draw. Even statistically, Amakhosi are sitting at exactly bang average.
Nabi’s nonsense
After the game, Nabi spoe of Polokwane City having two chances and scoring two goals, basically claiming his team’s only problem was their finishing.
These kind of revisionist comments can come from a coach caught up in emotion after a game, but this is nonsense.
For starters, City had two other perfectly presentable chances during the match. If Douglas Mapfumo had made a better connection with a header from a Cole Alexander cross, Chiefs would have been behind five minutes earlier than they were when Oswin Appollis opened the scoring.
And in the second half, Douglas Chauke spurned an arguably even better chance, failing to get a good connection on Thaban Matluidi’s cross.
As for Chiefs, they had opportunities, and on another day might have escaped with a point. Substitute Tebogo Potsane was unlucky to see his second half shot cannon back off the woodwork. But it was not as if City goalkeeper Manuel Sapunga was overworked.
Chiefs’ poor first half
In the first half in particular, Chiefs were woeful, creating little and looking vulnerable as City attacked them down the flanks.
The introduction of Potsane and Mfundo Vilakazi certainly added some zest after the break, but Chiefs still too often lack precision in front of goal, with their final pass and their finishing.
ALSO READ: Wasteful Chiefs punished by Polokwane City
Nabi insists there is progress, but the evidence suggests Chiefs have actually regressed since beginning the campaign with a bang. Chiefs’ head coach certainly deserves time to build an Amakhosi side in his image, but notes of real concern are starting to surface.
Hopefully Nabi is focused on this privately while publicly defending his players. Because Chiefs need to wake up fast.
