Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi has addressed concerns surrounding striker Ranga Chivaviro, who faced criticism for missing several chances in the first half of their match against SuperSport United in Carling Knockout Cup on Saturday.
The fans were calling for his substitution as they felt he wasn’t of help to the team.
Nevertheless, Chivaviro redeemed himself in the second half, scoring the third goal for the Glamour Boys.
Nabi has stated that he will not let emotions influence his assessment of Ranga Chivaviro's struggles. He has also urged the fans to continue supporting the former Marumo Gallants player.
Additionally, the Tunisian coach assured Chiefs supporters that Chivaviro will find the net more frequently as time goes.
NABI ON CHIVAVIRO – ‘I PROMISE HE WILL SCORE’
“For Ranga Chivaviro, you know sometimes when a striker misses is not easy but this is football,” said Nabi.
“I don't need the emotional reaction like the fans, my responsibility is to support my player.
“I push him, I promise he will score.”
Besides Chivaviro’s poor performance in the first stanza, Nabi believes they were not good enough as the team as a whole.
“It's true that we were not very good in the first-half. We had to make tactical adjustments in the second-half but it's a cup game, you don't play, you need just to win it,” added Nabi
“It seems like SuperSport have done their homework for this game, especially [because] we had difficulties in our build-up, in the first-half, they put pressure on our two holding midfielders, who usually are the link between the defence and attacking players.
“But we had to make the tactical adjustment in the second-half, instead of going through the middle but going through the wide areas, which were a little bit empty on SuperSport's side.”
