Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi’s future is up in the air following his team’s poor 2024-25 season that saw the Glamour Boys finish ninth.
Chiefs have finished out of the top eight for a second season on the bounce, having managed just 32 points from 28 games, in which they won just eight and lost 12, scoring just 25 goals while conceding 32.
This is even lower than the 36 points that Chiefs managed when finishing 10th in 2023-24, a damning verdict on Nabi, who was thought to be the solution to Amakhosi’s woes when he was hired in July 2024.
Nabi was seen as the man to instantly turn around their fortunes, having won titles with the likes of Yanga in Tanzania before he nearly led Morocco’s AS FAR to the league only to lose it by a point before he arrived at Naturena.
Following the end of the season, there are doubts over whether Nabi is the right man to take Chiefs forward while the club has yet to conclusively decide on his future, despite recent public pronouncements, but there are reasons why Amakhosi should stick with the veteran coach.
Nabi not entirely to blame
While there is a feeling that Nabi should have done better, he is not entirely to blame for Chiefs’ problems as they have been underachieving for years.
The club has not been run well for years and successive coaches have found it difficult to succeed as they either do not get what they ask or the players who come fail to deliver.
The management has to take its fair share of blame for bringing in lots of underperforming players and they now need to listen to the coach and work with him to sort it out.
Squad lacks quality & depth
For keen observers, Chiefs have been creating chances but not taking them, something that has made it difficult to win matches while at the back, they have been open.
The defensive issues are down to a lack of a consistent back four as injuries and suspensions have made it difficult for Nabi to have his best defenders around.
However, up front, there have been lots of chances created while several Chiefs forwards have gotten into good areas but failed to convert their chances.
Nabi can coach chance creation but conversion is entirely down to the players and here is where he has been let down, something that needs strong backing in the transfer market.
Lack of a reliable striker
At the end of the season, Kaizer Chiefs’ top scorer is a winger who arrived in January in Glody Lilepo with six league goals, while strikers Wandile Duba, Ranga Chivaviro and Ashely Du Preez have four, three, and two goals respectively.
Meanwhile, Tashreeq Morris, who arrived in January as the solution to their woes has ended the season without scoring, showing how poorly Chiefs are doing in this department.
With such numbers from their strikers, there was no way Nabi was going to succeed and it is no wonder they missed many chances and the coach needs serious backing in the form of a clinical striker to continue his Chiefs rebuild.
Nedbank Cup win
Nabi has already shown that he can win trophies after masterminding a Nedbank Cup win against all odds to end Chiefs’ 10-year trophy drought.
They did it by beating Mamelodi Sundowns in the semi-final and Orlando Pirates in the final, the two best teams in the country, and its impact cannot be wished away.
Now, there is confidence amongst the players that they can compete with the best in the country and all the club needs to do is support the coach with some smart and quality signings heading into next season.
Chiefs job not a quick fix
Meanwhile, for Chiefs fans who are somehow still hoping that their team will start winning soon, the truth is that this is a long-term project.
So much is broken in terms of squad quality and culture that it needs time and a safe pair of hands and the veteran and disciplinarian Nabi fits the bill.
Chiefs have lost their way, forgotten how to win while a lot of things have been taken for granted. So much also needs to change in terms of recruitment as the days of signing substandard players who come for a big pay cheque must stop.
This is the opportunity for a reset, a change of culture and sacking Nabi will not address that but rather letting him stay to continue telling the truth to the powers that be is the only way.
It will be slow and painful but it is what is required to wake up the Chiefs beast that has been sleeping for years.
