Nasreddine Nabi's unapologetic assessment of Kaizer Chiefs after Chippa United frustration - 'We didn’t deserve to win this game, I think mentally we were not ready'

Nasreddine Nabi has said he feels his Kaizer Chiefs players were not mentally ready to face Chippa United in a Premier Soccer League (PSL) match on Sunday.

Chiefs were frustrated and ended up sharing points with the Chilli Boys following a goalless draw at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Although Nabi acknowledged the game was tough, he said his players did not deserve to win at all.

“I think it was a very tough game, but to be honest with you, we didn’t deserve to win this game. To win this game, you must be ready for every challenge; you must be number one for the ball. I think mentally we were not ready for this game. Like I said to you, to win this game, you must be more than 100 percent ready to fight,” Nabi told SuperSport TV, as quoted byKickOff.

“We are not going to discuss individual players, but we look at all the players. We are the Kaizer Chiefs team; we’re not player by player, so we speak about the team, and the team was not 100 per cent; it’s not what it showed last week against Sundowns. It was different today.

“The same answer: even if we score the chances we get, we didn’t deserve to win this game. With this spirit today, if I win, it’s not correct; I need another mentality. I think today the team was out of its normal performance," he concluded.

Chiefs have gone for five games without a win in the league and are now eighth with 31 points from 25 games.

A win against Chippa would have boosted their chances of finishing in the top eight eventually, but the draw means they are not there yet. Ninth-placed Chippa have 30 points, while Golden Arrows, 10th on the log, have 29 points.

Both Arrows and Chippa have played fewer games than Amakhosi.

Even though Chiefs could be preoccupied with the Nedbank Cup final against Orlando Pirates, they need to fight and ensure they return to winning ways.

The Glamour Boys are set to face Marumo Gallants on April 26, and on May 3, they will be up against Bucs in a PSL Soweto Derby showdown. The cup final is scheduled to take place on May 10.