Are Kaizer Chiefs back? Nasreddine Nabi continues to cook at Naturena in an attempt to end the lengthy trophy drought

Nabi would have taken the Chiefs head coaching job fully aware that he would have to find a balance between securing results and getting the best out of his players.

While Amakhosi fans understand that their team is a long way behind the likes of Sundowns and Pirates, they do still expect to at least compete for trophies regardless.

The Chiefs hot seat is one that never comes without any pressure, as Nabi’s predecessors have found out, and the Tunisian seems desperate not to be the latest to succumb to it.

Nabi has been vocal about the need for patience and understanding as he continues to try and build a team that will eventually challenge the big boys for trophies.

Since his first day in Naturena, Nabi made a sincere plea to the club’s faithful to grant the team time to ‘cook’, aiming to restore the club to their rightful place in the coming months.

The 59-year-old has promised that he and his technical team have the perfect recipe for what they intend to cook, and all they need is enough time in the kitchen to produce the final product.

And although there has been some inconsistency, especially in the Premier Soccer League, it does seem like Nabi and his team could be onto something based on the team’s style of play and mentality this season.

While progress might seem slow, the majority of Chiefs fans do believe that there’s light at the end of the tunnel and that the club is heading in the right direction under Nabi.

That optimism is seemingly shared by the big bosses at the club, with Chiefs football manager Bobby Motaung going as far as warning those who have already discounted Chiefs from having a say in the league title race.

And their recent performance against Chippa United in the Nedbank Cup, which saw them advance to the quarter-finals after a 3-0 win, will boost their confidence further.

The Nedbank Cup has taken even bigger importance for Chiefs this season as it appears to be the last realistic chance of silverware and Nabi will hope to make the most of it.

Despite being in sixth place on the PSL table, Chiefs’ recent performances have been encouraging and they are one of the favourites to finish inside the Caf competition slots.

Nabi, although excited by recent positive results, has been quick to warn fans and stakeholders from getting too excited too soon.

"Step by step, step by step, we will come back,” Nabi said on SuperSportTV after the Chippa match.

“We go step by step, with no pressure, we work seriously and Kaizer Chiefs I promise you in the future we will come back. Now we don’t come back, but we will come back, step by step.”

Nabi should be aware that a trophyless campaign will not go down well with the club’s demanding supporters, regardless of how well his team plays from now until May.

All eyes will be on the Nedbank Cup which presents a golden opportunity for Nabi to buy himself more time to ‘cook’ in the Naturena kitchen, but it will be easier said than done.

The likes of defending champions Pirates and serial winners Sundowns are still in the competition, meaning Chiefs could potentially have to meet one or both of their rivals sooner or later.

They will also have to face Downs and Pirates in the league, and having lost to them both in the reverse fixture, Nabi’s side will be under pressure to do better in the next meetings.

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