A lot has changed for Kaizer Chiefs.
They finished last season in tenth place, released several long-serving players and fired coach Cavin Johnson, who hadn’t even been in charge for ten months.
Over the winter, they began rebuilding – first came Tunisian tactician Nasreddine Nabi, and then came the talent, including PSL champion Gastón Sirino, Inácio Miguel, and Bradley Cross.
AmaKhosi began the season with two wins from two before enduring their first loss to title holders Mamelodi Sundowns’ in controversial style.
Nabi ball was in full flow when they thrashed SuperSport United 4-0 in the Telkom Cup last weekend. So, the Glamour Boys must have been licking their lips when they faced Gavin Hunt’s side seven days – three points seemed imminent, but that wasn’t the case.
Their season went from title challengers to hopeful top-four candidates in a week, putting some early pressure on Nabi to turn things around.
Trust the process
Yes, Kaizer Chiefs stocks have plateaued, but fans must allow time for the team to adjust and integrate with seven signings and several coaches arriving over the winter.
This is just the beginning for Nabi and his side, who have a lot to be happy about when you compare it to last season’s performances – who knows what they’re capable of, or is this the early signs of a torturous time for the 59-year-old manager?
Nabi vents after loss
“It’s a game we controlled practically the whole game, unfortunately, we created many opportunities, but we couldn’t score, and the opponent had only one opportunity, and they scored it,” Nabi said to iDiski Times.
“Our young players need to understand to win a football game you need to put the ball in the net but we believe that it’s a lesson, even if it’s a tough one, we hope we can do better.
“We believe that today the mentality was good, was positive even after conceding the goal, they switched on, we pressed, we pushed hard, especially in the second half,” Nabi said about improvement in mentalities.
“We played higher, put numbers in the box, took shots, made crosses, we believed we could change the game, we want that kind of mentality.”
Where do you think Kaizer Chiefs will finish the season?
Let us know by clicking on the comment tab below this article or by emailing info@thesouthafrican.com or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. You can also follow @TheSAnews on X and The South African on Facebook for the latest news.
