‘I have awakened what was slumbering’: Nabi says being good is in Chiefs’ DNA

Nasreddine Nabi says he has not changed much in Kaizer Chiefs' strategy yet and he has simply awakened the hunger and awareness among the players of what the club stands for again. 

His team's performance in their first three matches — two wins and a defeat — has been praised as showing real signs of a revitalised combination, including in their 2-1 Betway Premiership defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns at a packed FNB Stadium on Saturday. 

Amakhosi started on fire in the opening 15 minutes as a renewed Ranga Chivaviro gave them the ninth-minute lead. Sundowns sprang into action and their movement for the next half-hour until the break was too much for Chiefs to deal with, though there was an incorrect offside call in the build-up to Iqraam Rayners' second goal in the 37th minute after Lucas Ribeiro Costa's first in the 31st. 

Downs were so dominant in that period it was hard to see Chiefs coming back into the game, even in front of some 60,000 or 70,000 of their own fans in the 90,000 crowd. They did, though, and impressively so, but unable to score again as Ronwen Wiliams kept the Brazilians in the game with fine saves. 

With Chiefs praised as an energised outfit by opposite number Manqoba Mngqithi, Nabi said showing improvement from where Amakhosi have come from — nine seasons without silverware and a worst finish of 10th place in the league last season — is not enough. 

The coach said his new tactical approach is at the embryonic stage. 

“I have not brought any new strategy. This is the DNA of Kaizer Chiefs,” Nabi said. 

“I have awakened what was slumbering. It's normal if you are a player for Kaizer Chiefs that you have a specific DNA, a specific character and personality, you dislike losing, you want to win every time, the winning mentality. 

“After the goal for Sundowns we observed some players with their heads down. The demons of last year came back. 

“This mentality I don't accept. Yes, it's possible that you will concede a goal, but if you concede and then you go like that [dips head], I don't accept that. 

“Yes, I don't change [much] because I am in the first steps of the strategy. If you think I'm not happy for today [Saturday], I'm not happy because I dislike losing. 

“Maybe the performance was better than last season's. But this is Kaizer Chiefs and you don't accept losing, where you are happy because you played a good second half. 

“What is that? If you are serious, you know what Kaizer Chiefs is. If you don't know, you don't have your place here.” 

Mngqithi said Chiefs “looked very good”. 

“They look refreshed, they look energised and the structure coach Nabi is playing is very potent. It's very difficult for other teams to understand. 

“He has that front three, and the four in midfield with the two central, using [Wandile] Duba on one side and the front three up there and [fullbacks Reeve] Frosler [Bradley] Cross will push [up] a bit more, and they remain with the last three.

"But the truth is it's refreshing to see a Kaizer Chiefs team that plays like this. They must try to dominate matches more, because we cannot as big teams always rely on a good rest attack and counterattacks, we must also try to build forward. 

“But I'm very happy with the progress the coach has made in such a short space of time.” 

With the MTN8 final this week and Fifa international break after that, Chiefs are next in action in their league clash against SuperSport United at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on October 26.