Don’t put too much pressure on the players, says Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi

Kaizer Chiefs last won a domestic trophy in the 2014/15 season by winning the MTN8 competition. Interestingly, it was a fixture against Orlando Pirates at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban – the same venue that will host the two Soweto giants for what will be a must-win contest for the two sides.

History could very well repeat itself, and following the 2-1 loss in the league match over the weekend, Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi anticipates a very different contest this time around.

“A cup match is completely different form a league match," Nabi told the media on Monday from their base in Soweto.

“Its a once off game, and its a good opportunity for us to play a final with the same opponents within a space of a week because you get to analyse the game with the same tactical situations of the same opponent and take some positive points.

“At this moment, the players have responded well after the loss and there is no time to put blame on anyone, you need to remain positive and give them confidence."

Nabi rued his sides poor execution in front of goal this past weekend, but also believes they know what will be required when they meet Pirates against this coming weekend.

With the stakes high and room for mistakes minimal, the Tunisian mentor has urged for lowered expectations, particularly to ease the pressure on his players.

“If you analyse why we lost, we played better in the first half, we had the opportunity to score more goals but we didn’t and that was the discussion I had with the players because if you don’t take charge of your good moments, you are risking letting the other team in.

“The players know the responsibility that comes with the chance they have.

“But we do not have to put too much pressure on them, because if you go overboard with the pressure, the result will be negative, you need the balance, but the players want it, especially after losing the first derby."