Nabi was, however, happy with the effort of his new signings and hopes they will continue to show progress against Stellies at Athlone Stadium on Friday (7.30pm).
“We felt the new signings were all good. Tashreeq and Lilepo were involved in the two goals we scored. With Thabo Cele, we believe he's a good player.
“It is only that they have done maybe three or four trainings. With matches every two, three days, we haven't really time to work on specifics on how they play and how to get to understand and be understood by their partners.
“We believe when we have a game every weekend and the whole week to train, we're going to have more time to work on the patterns and understanding of the players.”
Overall, though, it was another forgettable display not worth a cent in front of the Amakhosi supporters, who descended on FNB in decent numbers despite the match coming a few days after they had endured a painful fourth successive derby loss.
Nabi justifies six changes after Chiefs’ poor performance against AmaZulu
Coach happy with effort of new signings after starting Morris, Lilepo and Cele
Image: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi will soon run out of excuses for his poor-performing, inconsistent side, who drew 2-2 in their Betway Premiership clash against AmaZulu on Tuesday after a 1-0 loss in the Soweto derby against Orlando Pirates.
Nabi looked exhausted and in need of sleep at FNB Stadium after another embarrassing result against another side blowing hot and cold this season. He said in his post-match press conference a number of reasons forced him to make six changes to the team that lost against Pirates at the same venue on Saturday.
The Tunisian said he had no option but to bring back Reeve Frosler at right-back because Njabulo Blom was red-carded against Pirates, while the coach had to do without creative midfielder George Matlou because of an injury sustained against Bucs.
Midfielders Samkelo Zwane and Sibongiseni Mthethwa, left-back Thatayaone Ditlhokwe and striker Ranga Chivaviro were the other players Nabi left on the bench against Usuthu after they had started in a clash against Pirates where Amakhosi had deserved at least a point.
Nabi said fatigue among some of the players, including Mthethwa, who completed the match against AmaZulu in discomfort, had forced him to give new signing Tashreeq Morris his debut at striker, and also a first start to other new signings Thabo Cele and Glody Lilepo.
Bradley Cross and skipper Yusuf Maart completed the six players brought into the XI against AmaZulu in a result that left Chiefs in fifth place (22 points from 16 games), 14 points adrift of leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, who have three games in hand.
“The changes were due essentially to the fatigue two days after a big game that was physically and mentally demanding. Even with the changes, we needed to have a competitive team but also with a good balance to give us three points,” Nabi said.
“That was the only thing that we were thinking: to get a good performance and three points tonight.
Chiefs coach Nabi switches focus to AmaZulu after derby disappointment
“There were some players the GPS showed from the last game were a bit in the red zone. Someone like Mthethwa, even today towards the end of the game, had a bit of discomfort in his muscles due to the fatigue.
“We also have players who have been injured for quite some time, plus Blom was suspended today and Matlou was injured and will also be out in our next league game away to Stellenbosch on Friday.”
The result of the changes was a disjointed display that was largely papered over by the two unnecessary own goals conceded by AmaZulu to give Chiefs a point they should quietly agree didn't really deserve.
However, there was nothing surprising about Tuesday's result as Chiefs have battled for consistency. Despite being among the most attacking sides in the Premiership, scoring 19 goals, in defence they've leaked like a sieve and conceded as many.
The two goals Chiefs let in against AmaZulu were easy to defend, and both Amakhosi's strikes came via own goals.
The first was an equaliser for the Durban side that came five minutes after Ramahlwe Mphahlele's 18th-minute own goal gave Amakhosi the lead, the homes side's midfield and defence caught flat-footed as Rowen Human supplied Tshepang Moremi a final pass that he finished with aplomb.
Usuthu's second goal came as Chiefs' defence left Namibian striker Elmo Kambindu unmarked to outjump striker Morris on the hour mark.
That Chiefs earned a point was courtesy of AmaZulu's out-of-form gloveman Richard Ofori, who turned a harmless Lilepo header into his own net (63rd). The Ghanaian was also guilty of mishandling Frosler's cross in Chiefs' first goal, resulting in Mphahlele tapping the ball into his own net.
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Nabi was, however, happy with the effort of his new signings and hopes they will continue to show progress against Stellies at Athlone Stadium on Friday (7.30pm).
“We felt the new signings were all good. Tashreeq and Lilepo were involved in the two goals we scored. With Thabo Cele, we believe he's a good player.
“It is only that they have done maybe three or four trainings. With matches every two, three days, we haven't really time to work on specifics on how they play and how to get to understand and be understood by their partners.
“We believe when we have a game every weekend and the whole week to train, we're going to have more time to work on the patterns and understanding of the players.”
Overall, though, it was another forgettable display not worth a cent in front of the Amakhosi supporters, who descended on FNB in decent numbers despite the match coming a few days after they had endured a painful fourth successive derby loss.
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