Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi has thrown his weight behind Mduduzi Shabalala following the younger’s recent display in the Soweto Derby, urging fans not to attack him.
Chiefs suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat to rivals Orlando Pirates in the Betway Premiership on Saturday afternoon at FNB Stadium in Soweto.
Nabi troops made a promising start to the Soweto Derby, drawing first blood and raising the hopes of their supporters. However, their early advantage proved short-lived as they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat.
Crucially, both goals conceded by the Amakhosi stemmed from instances where young midfielder Mdu Shabalala lost his positional discipline. These lapses in concentration allowed Pirates to gain a significant tactical and numerical advantage in key areas of the pitch, ultimately creating the openings they needed to find the back of the net on two separate occasions.
As a result of the loss, Chiefs remained in the bottom half of the league table as they’re fighting to finish in the top eight. The Soweto giants are sitting ninth on the log standings after winning eight league games, drawing six, while losing 12 times in 26 matches.
With only two matches left before Amakhosi close off their season, they have only managed to collect 30 points. However, they could salvage their campaign with a silverware if they defeat Pirates in the Nedbank Cup final at Moses Mabhida Stadium this coming weekend.
After Chiefs dropped points against their bitter rivals last Saturday, Shabalala received a lot of criticism from the club’s supporters.
The attacking midfielder has been an integral part of Chiefs’ matchday squad under the leadership of Nabi. Shabalala has scored four goals and chipped in with two assists in his 31 matches in all competitions.
WHAT NABI SAID ABOUT THE CRITICISM TOWARDS SHABALALA
Nabi has urged the Chiefs supporters not to attack the former SA junior international because he’s still young and will learn from his mistakes.
“All players are disappointed after the loss in the Soweto Derby, but we don’t have time to blame anyone, we need to be positive,” said Nabi.
“We need to give players confidence, and not only confidence, but also analyse why we lost. We played better than Pirates in the first minutes of the match. We had the opportunity to continue and score more goals.
“So we analysed our mistakes, but I want to give support to my talented player, Shabalala. I don’t want people to attack him. He’s young. I agree that his mistakes in this game will help him to learn, and in that way, we will have a big player in the future.”
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