Eight years after George Lebese left Kaizer Chiefs, the club have not ascended any podium to collect silverware and that does not look like it will change any time soon, according to the ex-Mamelodi Sundowns winger.
Lebese does not sound convinced with the current situation at Naturena, where Nasreddine Nabi is the trusted pilot of the Amakhosi airbus, which has been experiencing a lot of turbulence this season.
Chiefs are already out of the Betway Premiership title race where they trail leaders Masandawana by 29 points and their realistic chance target is to fight for a Caf Confederation Cup spot (third) – which might also be asking too much, given the pace of those ahead of Nabi’s side.
Be that as it may, Chiefs are still in the running for the Nedbank Cup where they will face Sundowns or Sekhukhune United in the semi-finals, and Lebese has called for some level of patience.
“You need time with Chiefs because if you look at the age group, it is a lot of young players, they need time and patience but unfortunately at Chiefs you don’t have that. They have been starved trophies for over 10 years,” Lebese told Hollywoodbets Brand Ambassador Robert Marawa.
Under Nabi, the Glamour Boys have scored as many goals as games played in the league (22) and have conceded 26, effectively rendering the once mighty Chiefs a mid-table outfit. The buck stops with Nabi, as protocol dictates.
“The coach who is responsible for the team has been given this season to suss out and see what’s happening. He is under pressure to win a trophy, and adding more quality into the squad will help a lot.
“He (Nabi) is a little bit inconsistent. From where I sit, I don’t know his starting 11 and I think he is trying to see what type of players he has. He is a coach who is preparing for next season to see if he has good enough soldiers to take him through next season – for now he is finding his feet in the club and in the club. I think it is a learning curve for him,” Lebese explained.
Two worlds apart
Having played for both Sundowns and the Chiefs – Lebese knows the pressures and operations of the two Premier Soccer League giants and has drawn differences between how either side plots for glory.
“One great thing that Sundowns do is that they plan ahead. Right now they are playing for next season, they are not playing for this season,” said Lebese.
“If you look at what they are doing now, they are already finding combinations. It is safe to say the league is almost gone right now. It is not about the league anymore, it is about finding the right players.
“They’ve always been ahead. Chiefs are playing for this season, they are trying to survive this season and that is the major difference.
“If they can have players who are going to represent the club for five-six-seven years to come, I think it will be better. But to keep chopping and changing, it takes them three steps forward and two steps back,” he concluded.
