Kaizer Chiefs’ coach Nasreddine Nabi understands they are not yet a well-oiled machine, but he’s angered by the poor officiating decisions that have gone against them in the last few games, especially in the league.
Mihlali Baleka
Nasreddine Nabi took the Kaizer Chiefs head coaching job knowing Rome wasn’t built in a day, but he’s peeved by the external factors which have contributed to the Amakhosi’s slow start. Nabi was expected to be the Glamour Boys ‘messiah’ this season by returning the club to their glory days and get the best out of the players after a 10-year drought.
However, Chiefs haven’t had the best start to the season. They’ve already missed out on the Carling Knockout, while they’ve blown hot and cold in the Betway Premiership. Their recent result was a 2-0 loss to Polokwane City this past Sunday, which subjected them to their third loss in the league after three wins and two draws.
The 12 goals they’ve conceded in eight games since the start of league also means they’ve leaked the most goals in the league so far.
That’s worrisome.
Chiefs invested a lot in their defence during the off-season, signing six defensive players, including goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari, who has conceded 11 goals across seven games in all competitions. Speaking after Ntwari’s stand-in Brandon Petersen conceded his fifth goal in just three matches against Polokwane, Nabi said he understood their defensive frailties very well.
“We are working too hard at training, so it’s not a problem which starts at training,” he said, deep in the bowels of Peter Mokaba Stadium after the recent loss.
“It’s true, conceding goals has been an issue, but we need to look at the bigger picture – when you don’t score you give the morale and opportunity to the opponent. So, that’s why we don’t want to put the blame on the defenders. We want everyone to work harder, offensively and defensively.”
Nabi is right, Chiefs haven’t been at their best. While they’ve created the most chances in the league this season, they only have the best third conversation rate of 12 goals. The Tunisia born tactician has rotated Ranga Chiaviro and Ashley du Preez in search of goals, but he admits they might need to find a clinical target man next month.
“We can’t create a lot of scoring opportunities if we don’t have a clear idea of how we want to play,” Nabi said.
“It’s true that there are a lot of options we are trying to use to solve the issue. We’ll probably bring in someone who has height and will bring solutions to that problem.”
Dubious officiating
Sure, Chiefs have had their own shortcomings in defence and up-front but there has been some dubious officiating that has gone against them as well. The poor officiating has upset Nabi greatly, as he believes that it either limits their advantage or adds to medical list, leaving them destabilised going forward.
“You remember after (Edson) Castillo was out, I talked to the referees, and everyone said I was aggressive with referees,” Nabi said.
“I’m not aggressive with referees, I respect referees because without referees you don’t have football. But (Sunday)? Ay, ay, ay!
“I urge the PSL to please analyse our situation. Two penalties (denied), and I think my left-back, (Bradley) Cross will be out (for some time). That foul deserved a minimum red card.
“If I lose, I lose … it’s fine, it’s football but I don’t want to lose because of the referees.”
Left-back Cross was the latest Chiefs’ player to be admitted into the medical room after Polokwane’s Thabang Matuludi stamped on him in the second half.
“It’s not the first time, what do you want? Look at the action with Cross … maybe he’ll be out for two months. It’s unacceptable,” Nabi added.
“I don’t want them to give me a gift because I’m respectful. I respect the opponent; I respect the referees but give me what I deserve. Fifa’s first rule for referees is to protect players.
“How many players are in hospital? It’s unacceptable. I’m not saying these things because I lost. I always have solutions. When I lose, I will have solutions.
“I’m not happy because we lost, I’m not happy because the fans came to support us. I’m not happy because we lost the three points.”
