No one said it was going to be easy but such is the crisis that Kaizer Chiefs find themselves in currently that the management must act fast and support coach Nasreddine Nabi without prejudice.
Nabi yet again sounded like a broken record over the weekend, saying he’ll get Chiefs to play the “club’s way” in future after the 1-1 draw with TS Galaxy in the Betway Premiership. And while he hopes to get the best out of the players, he made a plea to his bosses, asking for a festive season miracle by bolstering the squad with quality players.
Chiefs’ management cannot stall but must heed the call during the upcoming transfer window by fully supporting their coach if Chiefs are to get back to the dizzying heights in local football. Nabi arrived at the club with a decorated CV following a successful spell in Tanzania but while he was backed with bringing in his own backyard staff at the time, he’s yet to get his own players.
That has proven to be a catastrophic strategy, as the club had already made their own signings prior to his arrival, including investing more in defence than any other position.
That investment hasn’t bore any fruit for Chiefs. Instead, it has exposed the lack of quality in their previous scouting team before the arrival of Thembela “Tera” Maliwa.
Chiefs have conceded more goals (13) than any other team in the Premiership, making a total mockery of their defensive unit. Nabi has also given a chance to all three goalkeepers in his squad in the league – Fiacre Ntwari, Brandon Petersen and Bruce Bvuma – yet none have managed to repay him and keep a clean sheet.
Add to that fact that Ntwari, who was signed from the Rockets in the winter, has been the weakest link from the lot, incredibly conceding 11 goals in seven matches across all competitions.
Of course, defending takes a team effort. But it seems the defensive frailties of Amakhosi are far from over as their best buy of the season, Inacio Miguel, had a poor outing against Galaxy. The bulky Angolan lost possession in his own half on three occasions in the first half, and he was lucky not to be punished as Galaxy’s front runners-up were not clinical enough early on.
Chiefs have also created the most scoring chances in the league this season, but they still continue to waste their chances as they scored the second most number of goals in the league (13).
The problem largely rests with their marksman. Ashley du Preez seemed to have a perfect start to his life at Chiefs, despite a slow start, scoring in back-to-back games.
That has proved to be a false dawn. Du Preez missed a sitter for Chiefs against Galaxy in the first half – a chance that could have very well handed Chiefs the early advantage. Even Nabi didn’t take kindly to that miss and the lacklustre performance, so much so that he replaced Du Preez with goal scorer Ranga Chivaviro at half-time.
While Chiefs dominated proceedings in the second half in search of the equaliser after Samukele Kabini had put Galaxy in front, they didn’t have a shot on target before Chivaviro’s goal.
You see, Nabi has been stressing about the importance of having a lethal striker which would turn their chances into goals as they try to find their rhythm and form.
So, given the fact that it seems the current bunch of players can’t find consistency and there are eventualities such as injuries, Chiefs’ management can’t waste time. They must support Nabi transfer strategy as a matter of urgently.
After all, the Tunisia-born tactician was largely successful in his previous gigs – especially at Young Africans – because of the support he got from the club bosses.
And while Chiefs’ management expects him to get the best out of their capital investment – the youngsters – they can’t possibly think that’s what will only get the team to win matches. |
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