Nabi can’t end drought with kids! Gamondi asks Kaizer Chiefs to sign quality & not rely on youngsters

Published on by Willis Sob

The Argentine insists there is a lot of work needed at Naturena for the club to start competing at the highest level.

Yanga SC coach Miguel Gamondi insists Kaizer Chiefs will win nothing if they decide to use young players.

The Tanzanian champions played the Glamour Boys on Sunday in the pre-season inaugural Toyota Cup, a match the East Africans won 4-0. It was an outcome that sent a negative message to the Chiefs supporters who were hopeful Nasreddine Nabi would help the team end the nine-year trophy drought.

This season, Amakhosi have signed three players; goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari, Bongani Sam, and Rushwin Dortley ahead of the 2024/25 Premier Soccer League season. 

‘Even Pep won with quality players'

Nabi fielded several youngsters last weekend, and Wananchi, literally, made a meal out of them, stringing passes with ease and punishing the mistakes committed.

“In my opinion expectations are too high because I always say in football you need quality players,” Gamondi stated.

Yanga SC

“Even Pep Guardiola, his success at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City is about the quality players he worked with. You have to be realistic, and from a tactical point of view, [on Saturday] we gave them a lesson on how to play an international game. 

“You need to have experience and they played about five young players. You cannot expect to win high-level matches with young players. I am not criticizing the level of Kaizer Chiefs, but for a big club it is important to manage players and the expectations of fans.”

Kids can't compete with Downs, Pirates & the likes

The Wananchi coach went on to challenge Nabi and his technical team to improve the squad to stand a chance of beating rival teams.

“If you give the expectation, you must perform on the pitch and there is no excuse. I spoke to coach [Nabi] and encouraged him because there is a lot of work to be done going forward,” the 57-year-old continued.

Nabi reacts Mbuthu's error leading to Yanga's goal, why he didn't take him off?
Nasreddine Nabi – Picture by Kaizer Chiefs

“If he wants to compete in the league against teams like Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates, Cape Town City, Stellenbosch, and SuperSport United, Chiefs need to improve a lot. Coaches can coach during the week but if you don’t have quality players, it is difficult. What I saw from Kaizer Chiefs, and this is good criticism, they didn’t create chances.

“Last season was bad for Chiefs and it is difficult to change the team. They must go step by step. The most important thing is to manage the expectations of the fans. They must be clever as to how they pass the message and they must also be realistic.

“Probably this season is the one for transition for Chiefs and this is the most logical thing to happen because I am realistic. You cannot go close to 10 years without success and you want to be a champion.”

Chiefs failed to qualify for the MTN8 meaning they have a few weeks before their competitive game. On August 14, they will be away against Marumo Gallants in the Premier Soccer League.

Nabi can’t end drought with kids! Gamondi asks Kaizer Chiefs to sign quality & not rely on youngsters

Willis Sob

Willis Sob is an experienced journalist who has been in the game since 2009, covering major assignments around the continent.
His hunger for African football is unmatched, always getting the best angles and facts to feed the fans and quench their thirst.