Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi is confident his squad is making progress despite a challenging preseason, as they gear up for the upcoming Betway Premiership season.
Amakhosi have had a demanding preseason schedule, packed with competitive matches.
Their European tour in the Netherlands saw them face Vitesse Arnhem, Utrecht, NEC Nijmegen, PEC Zwolle, and FC Twente, where they secured only one victory against PEC Zwolle.
Read: Penalty shootout heartbreak for Amakhosi in Toyota Cup
Nabi’s side suffered a 4-3 penalty shootout defeat to Ghanaian Premier League team Asante Kotoko in the Toyota Cup this past weekend.
Nabi utilized these matches to integrate new signings and experiment with various line-ups across all six fixtures. Reflecting on the loss to Asante Kotoko, the Chiefs’ boss expressed overall satisfaction with the team’s performance, despite squandering several chances to win.
Speaking to SABC Sport, Nabi stated, “We came up with a lot of answers in terms of what we have been doing (in pre-season) and what we need to do going forward. It was a positive performance overall.”
He acknowledged the missed opportunities: “We had opportunities to win the game during the 90 minutes, and during the penalties, but we missed them. We wanted to offer our supporters victory and finish the day with joy. But penalties are unpredictable.
Despite the defeat, Nabi remains optimistic about the team’s trajectory. “I am very positive we are going in the right direction. We have done the physical work.
Now we are in the last two weeks of the pre-season. We know our negative points. It is very important for us to look where the problems are honestly, and at where the quality is.
He emphasized the team’s focus on improvement: “We can then push to improve the quality and correct the negative points.”
Kaizer Chiefs are set to commence their Betway Premiership campaign against Stellenbosch on August 10.