Nabi remains optimistic despite tough pre-season

“I FEEL absolutely optimistic about the upcoming season.”

- MATSHELANE MAMABOLO

Nasreddine Nabi might be considered delusional by some for uttering those words. After all, what's there to be optimistic about when Kaizer Chiefs endured a tough preseason tour of the Netherlands, losing four out of their five matches?

Amakhosi managed just one win - a 20% return. Hardly cause for excitement, is it? But preseason fixtures are not always about results.

For coaches, they are opportunities to build systems, test new combinations and lay the groundwork for the season ahead. For Nabi, his optimism comes from what he learned about his players during those five testing matches.

“We saw a lot of positives in our training matches against very strong Dutch opponents. The players have started to understand the way I want them to play, and they gel well as a strong unit,” the Tunisian, now entering his second season with Chiefs, told the club’s website.