New Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi has warned of overreaction to their 4-0 drubbing against Young Africans SC on Sunday, saying he learnt important things from the friendly match.
Amakhosi went down 4-0 to the Tanzanian champions who won the inaugural Toyota Cup at a sold-out stadium in Bloemfontein.
It was Nabi’s first official friendly match after their pre-season camp in Turkiye, and Nabi insisted it was a good learning experience about the weaknesses and strengths in his team.
“It’s unpleasant to lose, especially at home,” he told journalists.
“But it’s only a friendly game, we didn’t lose any points, so we’re taking it as a learning curve, to get to know the team, especially it’s weaknesses and strengths. It was a good opportunity to evaluate the players, the dynamics of the team.
“We would also like to congratulate the team of Young Africans for their excellent performance today. They allowed us to have an accurate picture of our team. We will learn from that and I’m sure improve.”
Nabi usually answers questions in French before they are being translated into English then switched to English himself to bring his point about the overreaction to the loss across.
“Today is a friendly game. It’s a friendly game, for the people who know football, the reason, in friendly games, it’s not very important,” he continued.
“Okay, I don’t want a losing mentality. But if you lose, and conceded four goals, it’s one friendly game. This is not [official] football.
“The game of today helped me so much, so much. Because it showed me the level of my players collectively and individually. I’m very happy after losing.
“I’m not happy about losing many games, any exercise in training I don’t win, I’m not happy because I’m a winner, I have a winning character.
“Let’s not go like ‘ah Chiefs lost, Nabi this, Nabi that’… No, today we observe some positive things. It’s not about people who don’t know football and won’t sleep tonight because the team lost.
“But me, I know negative today, what needs to be changes but also which positives. That’s the reason for the game of today. I’t s friendly game.”
The Tunisian mentor is looking to pick up his players after their humiliating defeat as they continue their pre-season out of the country with their next trip taking them to neighbours Botswana.
