When Nasreddine Nabi was appointed the new Kaizer Chiefs coach, many Amakhosi fans had hope that the Tunisian tactician was the man to get them back to their glory days.
A decade ago, ‘Rise Khosi Rise’ was the team’s slogan as they secured their second double under Stuart Baxter. Little did they know that their league triumph in 2015 would be their last silverware given their experience and dominance at the time.
After that season, Baxter left and was replaced by Steve Komphela. That was the beginning of Amakhosi’s downfall and although their regression was slow, some felt it would take a great coach to get the club on track given Mamelodi Sundowns‘ dominance.
Fast forward to 2014, Kaizer Chiefs have had close to 10 coaches since 2015 and have not lifted silverware although they came close several times. Last season, the club’s management made the biggest blunder by appointing Molefi Ntseki as head coach. The former Bafana Bafana had been Head of Development Academy at Amkhosi for two years before he was promoted to head coach. The appointment faced significant criticism from soccer legends, with fans expressing their frustration on social media.
Ntseki’s tenure was forgettable only winning three of the 10 matches in charge. After four months, he was sacked for Cavin Johnson. Although his initial matches yielded positive outcomes, the team’s performance declined sharply in the second half of the season, ultimately finishing 10th in the league.
Kaizer Chiefs season already going south
Action needed to be taken and Johnson was given the boot. In the coming weeks, reports emerged that the club had agreed to bring in Nasreddine Nabi as their new coach. After concluding his tenure in Morocco with FAR Rabat, Nabi joined Amakhosi in July and immediately hit the ground running in Turkey.
The Tunisian’s first televised match for Kaizer Chiefs was against Young Africans in the Toyota Cup during pre-season. Nabi’s team went down 4-0, and the fans’ expectations were already low.
The big day however was on 14 September at the Toyota Stadium where Chiefs opened their Betway Premiership campaign against Marumo Gallants. Five of seven new signings featured as Amakhosi won 2-1 in front of a packed stadium.
Nabi has brought stability but that is not enough
Although it was a close game, Nabi received significant praise for bringing in a new attitude and instilling confidence in his players. For the first time in over four years, the Glamour Boys looked creative, in control, and very comfortable with the ball.
In their second match, Kaizer Chiefs demolished AmaZulu 3-1 showing again that their opener was no fluke. Nabi was definitely cooking and against defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns, Amakhosi looked sharp and were unlucky to lose the match 2-1.
After a three-week break, the PSL resumed and the Nasreddine Nabi show continued. Chiefs demolished SuperSport United 4-0 at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in the Carling Knockout Cup. Is this the year? asked some of the Khosi fans. With Orlando Pirate eliminated from the cup, Kaizer Chiefs fans felt the Carling KO was there for the taking.
As fate will have it, they were drawn against Sundowns; a team they felt they should have beaten or at least gotten a point during their first meeting. Before their Carling KO match with Masandawana, the Glamour Boys hit a pothole when they lost to Matsatsantsa. Nabi wasn’t going to beat Gavin Hunt twice, that was a given.
Kaizer Chiefs need more than Sirino to win
A 2-2 draw against Magesi FC raised eyebrows but we all know that the team had one eye focused on the quarter-final clash.
D-Day came and Kaizer Chiefs were given their biggest defeat of the season. It could have been 8-0 but poor finishing from Sundowns saw them only winning 4-0. The Naturena-based team realistically have only the Nedbank Cup to fight for this season.
Sundowns and Orlando Pirates look likely to challenge for the league. Amakhosi are already 11 points behind their rivals and that gap can extend to 14 if the Buccaneers beat Richards Bay on Tuesday.
Nabi has a competitive team and it’s now up to the Kaizer Chiefs management to recruit more players in January. The Tunisian tactician is not the ‘knight in shining armour’ who will save the club. He needs more than just Gaston Sirino to win matches.
Who should Nabi buy in January?
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