Herman Gibbs
Tunisian coach Nasreddine Nabi on Saturday expressed his frustration at the referee and the young Kaizer Chiefs players as he faced the disappointment of consecutive Premiership defeats following SuperSport United's 1-0 win at Peter Mokaba Stadium.
The match, watched by a crowd of 35 000 fans, promised much after Chiefs had dominated SuperSport with a 4-0 victory in a Carling Knockout clash just a week prior. Chiefs had entered the stadium following a previous clash with Mamelodi Sundowns that ended on a bitter note, as they succumbed 2-1 in a thrilling match at the packed FNB Stadium.
The home supporters, buoyed by the recent successes, held hopes of witnessing their team return to winning ways once again. However, SuperSport coach Gavin Hunt thwarted those aspirations, leaving the Amakhosi faithful with a sour taste as whispers of a decadal trophy drought persisted despite Nabi's recent appointment.
Ten minutes before the match reached its conclusion and trailing 1-0, the ball went out of play near Chiefs' dugout, prompting Nabi to approach referee Christopher Kistoor in frustration. Fourth official Thando Ndzandzeka intervened to restrain Nabi as tensions began to rise.
Post-match, Nabi's ire shifted towards the younger members of his squad.
“Our young players need to understand that to win a football game, you need to put the ball in the net. But we believe it’s a lesson, even if it’s a tough one, and we hope we can do better,” said Nabi, accentuating his reliance on youthful talent to rejuvenate the club's fortunes.
Despite having a dominant share of possession throughout the match, Nabi lamented that they failed to convert opportunities into goals.
“This is a game we controlled practically the whole way. Unfortunately, after we created many opportunities, we couldn’t score. On the other hand, our opponents had one opportunity, and they scored from it,” he reflected.
Nonetheless, Nabi was proud of the mentality displayed by his players.
“Even after going a goal down, there was a fighting spirit till the end,” he said. “I believe that today the mentality was good. They remained switched on and pressed, pushing hard, especially late in the second half.”
The coach highlighted tactical efforts, mentioning,
“We played with a higher press, put numbers in the box and took shots from range. We made crosses and there was a belief we could change the game. We want that kind of mentality.”
Nabi's decision to field Venezuelan Edson Castillo over Yusuf Maart also raised eyebrows, though he explained,
"We believe that Maart has been playing since the beginning of the league and the cup games, and we thought today was a good game to give him rest and to give Castillo a chance to start.”
Despite the defeat, he aims to instil a stronger belief in his squad as they seek to close the troubling chapter of underperformance.
Meanwhile, Gavin Hunt exacted a measure of revenge with the win. A week after suffering a heavy 4-0 defeat to the same opposition at the same venue, but in th Carling Knockout, Hunt displayed his tactical prowess and transformed a challenging situation into a victory.
Following the previous week’s defeat, Hunt expressed confidence in his team's ability, stating that SuperSport had three golden opportunities to score before Chiefs found the back of the net.
"If we had capitalised on these chances, the result could have been different,” he noted, unwavering in his identity as a seasoned tactician.
Demonstrating his acumen, Hunt's strategy paid dividends on Saturday. “Last week, we took the game to them and got hurt. This time, I told the players to let them bring the game to us,” he revealed after the match.