In spite of and after a 2-1 defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi has already impressed pundits, supporters and opposition coaches. Soccer Laduma highlights five key points.
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1. Confidence
In the previous seasons, Chiefs seemed to lack confidence but they now have it in abundance, as former Amakhosi coach Muhsin Ertugral observed; "What I like about the team is the confidence, the eagerness that they found in a short while, because last season you could see the body language…[was not there]," the Turkish-born mentor said on SoccerBeat YouTube Channel.
2. Tactical flexibility
In just three matches, Nabi has already used different formations and systems, which would make Chiefs unpredictable; "To have this week a formation and next week another different formation, a very high defensive line [against Sundowns], organized, it was impressive. It's not easy, that means there's a lot of work behind the scenes," Ertugral remarked.
3. Physical conditioning
Chiefs were expected to struggle early in the season, after they did not have enough competitive matches, with the MTN8 and CAF tournaments underway, while the league was yet to resume.
However, Nabi coming with his own technical team, in particular Strength and Conditioning coach, Safi Majdi, highly-rated in North Africa, made a big difference.
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4. Bravery
Nabi has shown that he is a coach not scared to make decisions, especially with belief in the youngsters and the usage of substitutions, which also impressed former Amakhosi left-back Tsepo Masilela; "What impressed me about this Chiefs team is that they are brave, make no mistake, the coach is brave, he is not scared to make substitutions, if he feels he needs to change something, he does it there on the spot," Masilela said on SoccerBeat.
5. Fighting spirit
Nabi has also seemingly been working on the mentality of the team, as Chiefs have more fighting spirit, whether early in the game and coming from behind.
Arguably, if it was not for Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, Amakhosi could have won the match, after pressurising the Brazilians in the second stanza, while 2-1 down, with attack after attack, something that has not been seen in a long while from a Chiefs team.
