Kaizer Chiefs players celebrate following their Betway Premiership win over Marumo Gallants at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein. Picture: @KaizerChiefs via X
Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi was delighted with the performance of his new signings after starting off his tenure with a win over Marumo Gallants in the Betway Premiership on Saturday.
Chiefs’ fielded five new signings in their matchday squad at the Free State Stadium, with former Mamelodi Sundowns playmaker Gaston Sirino producing an eye-catching performance on the day.
Rwandan international, Fiacre Ntwari made his debut in goal, while Rushwin Dortley and Inacio Miguel slotted in at the centre of Amakhosi’s defence. Left-back Bradley Cross also had a satisfactory outing.
Sirino set up Mduduzi Shabalala for Chiefs’ equalising goal. Since making his South African top-flight debut in 2017/18, Sirino has made the second highest number of assists in the Betway Premiership.
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Nabi is trying to rebuild Chiefs following a horror show last season when they finished 10th, 37 points behind eventual Premiership winners Mamelodi Sundowns. The new signings were certainly a breath of fresh air on Saturday.
“I am very happy with all the new players who played today, but I don’t want to speak about it too much yet because it’s still early,” Nabi said.
“Coaching this Club is a big responsibility and I want to thank the Kaizer Chiefs management for bringing in these new players to work with, and I am happy with a good start.”
Nabi also praised his players’ “winning attitude” after going behind against Gallants in the eighth minute of the clash.
Chiefs hit back with Shabalala’s goal nine minutes later, before finally being rewarded for their persistence on attack with teenage starlet Mfundo Vilakazi’s winner in the 79th minute.
“The most pleasing difference I see in the team from last season is the winning attitude of the players,” Nabi said.
“Before, if they conceded a goal, heads would drop. This is an important change in culture, which I am very happy about.”
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— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) September 14, 2024
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Vilakazi is the talk of the town following his performance against Gallants, but Nabi says he wants to “protect” the kid and help keep his feet on the ground.
Vilakazi is one of the country’s brightest talents and starring for Kaizer Chiefs makes that spotlight even brighter. Nabi is hoping to keep the youngster grounded.
“I love Vilakazi; he’s like a son to me, but I have to protect him,” Nabi added.
“He’s not starting yet because I am protecting him from all the attention, because he is a huge talent and he needs to understand that when you start for Kaizer Chiefs it takes a big sacrifice.
“So, I must protect my young talented players. I am very happy for him but I also want him to remain grounded and work even harder.”
IOL Sport