Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi has identified mental readiness as the primary challenge hindering rising star Wandile Duba, who scored in their 2-1 Nedbank Cup semi-final victory over Mamelodi Sundowns.
This win, secured at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Sunday, propelled Chiefs to their first final in six years, setting up a highly anticipated Soweto derby against Orlando Pirates.
Chiefs overcame a first-half Teboho Mokoena goal, with Duba capitalizing on a Lucas Suarez error to equalize early in the second half. Ashley Du Preez then scored the decisive late goal, which saw fans erupt at Loftus.
Duba, returning from a knee injury, has now scored six goals in 21 appearances this season, including goals in consecutive matches against TS Galaxy and Sundowns.
In a post-match press conference, Nabi praised Duba's talent but highlighted his mental readiness as a concern, particularly in high-pressure games with large crowds.
‘HE’S NOT 100% READY MENTALLY’
“Regarding Duba, I think he has a lot of quality, physical quality and technical quality,” said Nabi as quoted by FARPost.
“The only problem that we always work on with him is the mental problem. You know a young player when he starts to play in front of a lot of fans like Chiefs fans. So, always he’s not 100% ready mentally.
“For that, we’re trying to work on it. We think he had to make a lot of progress from last season and he can make [more progress] if he gives us solutions as a first or second striker next season.”
