A former Kaizer Chiefs star has defended Nasreddine Nabi, stating he’s not to blame for the team’s struggles but pinpointed the only problem the Tunisian coach has.
The former Young Africans coach took the reins at Amakhosi at the beginning of the season with hope that he could turn the club’s fortunes around.
While they had a promising start in the first few games of the campaign, Chiefs’ performances have dipped further as the season went on.
The Phefeni Glamour Boys have only won 10 matches, lost 11 and drawn six of 27 that Nabi has overseen this season. They are eighth in the league standings with 30 points after 24 league matches so far.
The former Chiefs midfield sensation Thabiso ‘Skapie’ Malatsi says the players’ lack of hunger and dedication to the club’s badge cannot be blamed on the coach.
However, Malatsi feels Nabi’s philosophy doesn’t align with Chiefs’ traditional style of play. He stated that Nabi has tactical preference for long balls while Chiefs are known for effective short-passing style.
“The problem here is not the coach, I believe the coach is not to blame here. I blame the players,” Malatsi told SoccerBeat podcast.
“It’s the players, and one thing for sure with players they’re not showing us that they’re hungry for success, to play for a big team like Kaizer Chiefs.
“Even the management, I blame them because at some point, they lost the culture of promoting those young players from the development side.
“But I believe that coach Nabi’s philosophy, what he wants Kaizer Chiefs team to play is not the [style of play] of Kaizer Chiefs.
“He’s playing one, two passes and then long balls, but at Chiefs we actually play [short passes] and when the defender doesn’t have a cover, you take them on and cross or you cut inside. Like [Orlando] Pirates and [Mamelodi] Sundowns are doing.”