Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi has provided insight into his decision to substitute Pule Mmodi just past the half hour mark during Tuesday night’s Betway Premiership clash against SuperSport United at FNB Stadium.
Despite praise for Mmodi’s recent resurgence after a slow start to the season, Nabi felt the winger was struggling early in the match.
Amakhosi suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to SuperSport United, with Gaston Sirino also receiving a red card for a second bookable offence. While Chiefs were trailing 2-1 at the time of the substitution, Mmodi appeared visibly frustrated as he made his way off the pitch and was replaced by Mduduzi Shabalala.
Nabi clarified that the substitution wasn’t purely tactical but was driven by his observation of the player’s lack of energy.
“It was not necessarily a tactical change. I noticed most of the players were not in the game,” Nabi told the media. “If I had a chance to substitute six or seven players, I could have done it.
“I could see Mmodi had given a lot into the game in the previous game. Today, already in the early minutes I could see he was not in the game, he was tired…”
The Chiefs coach continued, acknowledging that Mmodi had shown considerable effort in previous matches, but was not at his best on the night. “It was a very difficult game from the first minute, and we could already see it was an off-game for us,” added Nasreddine Nabi. “I cannot give excuses all the time, but we didn’t have enough time to recover, two days. The other team had a week.
“It’s a deserved defeat for us, but you can see that mentally, we were not up to standard. We cracked. And unfortunately, you can see that … the result was painful.”
The early substitution was part of a broader struggle for Chiefs, who were unable to get to grips with SuperSport’s intensity and clinical finishing. This result not only secured all three points for Matsatsantsa, but also completed a league double over the Soweto giants.
Kaizer Chiefs will be in action against PSL powerhouse Mamelodi Sundowns next, as a result of their scheduled clash with Royal AM being postponed. Kick off in Pretoria is set for 15:30 on Saturday, 1 March 2025.