Former Kaizer Chiefs coach Muhsin Ertuğral has pointed out what could be Nasreddine Nabi’s most critical phase at the helm of Amakhosi.
Nabi has been in-charge of Chiefs for less than a month now. He presided over their pre-season camp in Turkey. Unfortunately, his first match in SA ended in a devastating fashion as Chiefs were outsmarted by Young Africans in the inaugural Toyota Cup.
The Chiefs lost 4-0. Former SuperSport United striker Prince Dube scored Yanga’s first goal. Stephane Aziz Ki scored twice, and Clement Mzize scored the other goal.
WHAT COACH ERTUGRAL SAID ABOUT NABI TENURE
As Nabi’s tenure is already underway, Ertuğral believes the key to Nabi’s tenure at Chiefs lies in how swiftly the players can assimilate his playing philosophy and tactics. He described this as the ‘critical stage of Nabi’s tenure.
When asked by FARPost about Amakhosi’s decision to conduct their pre-season preparations overseas, the Turkish mentor acknowledged that a change of environment has its own positives.
“It’s difficult to say from afar. Most will be opinions, but the reality is often different, and we always see reality from our own perspectives,” Ertuğral told FARPost. “It will take time to get the team going. The pre-season is eminently important for finding the team’s concepts.
“The most important thing for me is how to get the collective with the individual in harmony in the concepts they want to play with. So the challenge will be the ending of pre-season and getting into the competition time.”
Ertuğral also commented on Chiefs’ decision to conduct their pre-season preparations outside South Africa.
“It’s difficult to say how successful the camp was for the technical team. They could prepare away from the eyes. Sometimes it helps to be away,” he added.
“The point is how quickly you can adjust. Even when you move from one house to another, you need to adjust. That is his most critical stage. I really don’t think changing a lot of players would be effective.
“The players went through very tough periods, and they learned. For me, you need to beef up just the positions needed for the concepts the technical team needs.”
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