Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi exudes confidence despite Vitesse pre-season opening defeat - 'It's more about seeing all the players in action'

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi has explained why he is not worried by the 2-1 pre-season loss to Vitesse.

Despite taking the lead, the Glamour Boys were unable to see off their Dutch rivals, but the Tunisian tactician is not concerned as he was much more anxious about the way their opponents approached the second half of the match.

"It's all about the objective we have set out for our pre-season. We trained very hard the last few days, which was very tough for the players physically. So, I am not really worried about the result of this pre-season training match," Nabi told the club's website.

"It's more about seeing all the players in action and trying out different formations. We controlled the game in the first half and could even perhaps have scored one or two more goals," he added.

"Vitesse, though, played very aggressively in the second half. Too aggressively, I felt. However, that was also a good lesson for our players - how to deal with this kind of aggressive display from an opponent."

"Overall, I am happy with what I saw."

Nabi fielded two sets of starting XIs to tackle Vitesse and also gave his new players a taste of the action.

Thabiso Monyane and Flavio Silva were in the first batch, while Ethan Chislett and Nkanyiso Shinga featured in the second line-up.

Although he has downplayed the Vitesse defeat, Nabi should be cautious as his team showed last season they can struggle to put defeats behind them.

,Nabi will already be heading into the new season under pressure after failing to reach the PSL's Top Eight so can do without a poor showing in their pre-season.

The Glamour Boys will tackle Utrecht on July 11 before playing NEC Nijmegen, PEC Zwolle, and FC Twente Enschede later in the month.

Given that the Soweto giants will also compete in the CAF Confederation Cup, Nabi's hope is that the pre-season will adequately sharpen his players for the additional duties ahead.