Nabi says Chiefs are on the right path after Cup victory over Chippa

Mihlali Baleka

Kaizer Chiefs’ project is not even halfway done but such is the brewing mindset within the team, that the Amakhosi are convinced they are heading in the right direction.

Coach Nasreddine Nabi made this bold declaration after his team reached the Nedbank Cup quarter-final after beating Chippa United on Saturday.

Chiefs beat the Chilli Boys 3-0 at home to not only progress to the third round of the competition, but keep their chances of winning a trophy in 10 years alive.

The 59-year-old hasn’t been able to hit the ground running. He has struggled to keep a consistent front, despite the resilience of the club’s youngsters. Chiefs have, however, shown vast improvement all-round in the last few weeks, winning back-to-back matches, including in the Betway Premiership and Nedbank Cup.

The arrival of Makabi Lilepo, Thabo Cele and Tashreeq Morris has worked like a charm as well, taking the pressure off the youngsters who were carrying the team. Nabi is not getting carried away. He has welcomed the positive signs they have shown but still believes there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done.

“I think that we are starting to have a very big mindset in the team, which is also collective, on how to look for a victory and play together,” Nabi said.

“We still have a lot of work to do. There are a lot of roads to travel. It’s not like the first modesty, but we don’t believe that we are half of the team we dream of but the biggest certainty is that we are heading in the right direction. The players understand what they need to do. So, the process continues!”

Even the fringe players seem to understand what needs to be done. A lot of them who were out-of-favour when Nabi arrived are slowly being integrated into the team.

Pule Mmodi, Sibongiseni Mthethwa and Bruce Bvuma are three notable players who’ve since become an integral part of the team after slow starts. Nabi is pleased with the mentality of his players all around, saying that top training abilities yields the same results on the pitch.

“It’s a good analysis. But like I said, the number of players is big in quantity and quality. It’s not the concurrence of having two players, even three, on one position,” he said.

“The concurrence is going to be very hard; everyone that plays is the one that keeps his performance consistent at games and training.”

Just when Chiefs were starting to have a consistent lineup as well, they were dealt with the departure of defender Thatayaone Ditlhokwe last week.

Ditlhokwe joined Libyan giants Al-Ittihad on a reported multimillion rand deal after spending 18-months with the Naturena based outfit.

He was an integral figure for Chiefs in the last few weeks, having also worked his way back into the team to either play as a left central defender or left back.

His absence is set to leave a huge void in defence. But Nabi argues that they have enough quick-fix options at least until the end of the season.

“I am happy for (Edmilson) Dove (who’s working his way back to full-fitness) – we have a possibility of him. We have Happy Mashiane who hasn't been playing for a long time,” Nabi said.

“Maybe the tempo (of the game got better of Mashiane) at times, but he’s good offensively. So maybe there are small things we need to work on.

“(Bradley) Cross, maybe after a little bad moment, has lifted his hand. I still have Dove. He has the same profile as ‘TT’, central left-back and sometimes can play as a left-back.

“So, I think the solution for four months exits.”