Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi insists he is under no pressure to win a trophy this season ahead of his team’s Nedbank Cup meeting with Mamelodi Sundowns.
Chiefs face Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup semi-final at Loftus Versfeld on Sunday, April 13 in what will be a third meeting against the Brazilians this season and head into the match on the back of a four-game winless run.
Amakhosi have lost two and drawn as many during that period and fell to Sundowns in all their three previous meetings this season, increasing pressure on Nabi to win on Sunday, given also that the Nedbank Cup is their only realistic chance for silverware.
However, the veteran coach maintains winning a trophy will only be a bonus but is not the main aim this season as he is working on a long-term project.
Why is Nabi not feeling trophy pressure?
“The only pressure I have is from the fans. When I am outside, I try to do my best to make them happy. Life here in SA is too expensive, so I need to make them happy to forget that life is expensive,” Nabi said on Thursday as quoted by Sowetan LIVE.
“When you enjoy football, you forget all your problems. On the 25th (of the month), people have to pay for their houses and rent, that’s pressure. If we don’t win this trophy, we have to continue working.
“Will I be under pressure if we lose this one? No, no! The real pressure is social, where people’s salaries are finished a day after payday … you need to pay school fees for your child, that’s real pressure. But is losing a game and still receiving a big salary pressure? I don’t have pressure, but I have respect for the fans and for the club.”
Nabi says his vision is aligned with that of his employers at Chiefs as they are keen on building a team that will challenge for trophies consistently once everything is in place in two or three years’ time.
Chiefs will be ‘great’ in two or three years
“We’re trying to build our team in this first year [of his stint]. It’s a process, but if we get an opportunity to win a trophy while we’re still building our team, why not?” he added.
“We play to win, but there’s no pressure inside because the project is underway. We agreed with the board that the process will take two or three years, and after those years, then we’ll be a better team that can play for cups and even for CAF tournaments.”
Chiefs lost 2-1 to Sundowns in the league last September before a 4-0 defeat in the Telkom Knockout in November.
The Brazilians completed a hat-trick of wins in March when they triumphed 1-0 in the PSL and Miguel Cardoso’s team will head into the match as favourites yet again.
