Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi has made it crystal clear—if the club wants to see more trophies, it must first deliver the right tools. Speaking after guiding Amakhosi to a historic Nedbank Cup victory over Orlando Pirates, which ended their ten-year trophy drought, the Tunisian head coach did not shy away from what he believes must come next.
“I wouldn’t be honest if I said that I’m gonna stay if the club doesn’t allow me to get all the tools to succeed next season,” Nabi said. “Because they have promised, and myself, I have promised the fans that I want to build a successful team that will compete in every competition to win trophies.”
He added: “That’s the condition for me to stay because I don’t feel that I want to go through what I went through this season.”
As Chiefs continue their pre-season, those tools Nabi is asking for have yet to fully materialise. The club has won just one of five fixtures in their build-up to the new campaign, raising eyebrows among supporters and club legends.
Yes, on the one hand they’ve already signed six players; but they’re yet to land their marquee signing.
Alarm bells ringing
Among those voicing concern is former Kaizer Chiefs defender Tsepo Masilela, who has been openly critical of current left-sided defender Nkhanyiso Shinga.
“To be honest, when I look at Shinga, interesting player, but defensively, there’s been question marks, in my opinion,” Masilela said. “Even the second goal (conceded against Twente), there’s a couple of times (even) in the previous games, he got beaten in one-v-one situations.”
Masilela didn’t hold back on the tactical flaws either.
“Your primary job as a defender is to win those duels, to be on top of the winger – that’s how you gain confidence. He’s comfortable on the ball, we can’t argue with that. But again, him inverting most of the time, I found that it was dragging Lilepo to receive the ball too deep, more like a left-back. I couldn’t understand the idea of him inverting that much.”
With questions around Shinga’s effectiveness and the uncertainty surrounding transfer reinforcements, the pressure is rising in Naturena.
Should Kaizer Chiefs back Nabi with more signings?
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