Fixing Kaizer Chiefs to reclaim the glory days won’t be an overnight achievement, even with a highly-rated coach such as Nasreddine Nabi.
That’s the view of the Young Africans’ head coach Miguel Gamondi, who orchestrated a heavy beating for Amakhosi in a pre-season tournament at the weekend.
Gamondi’s Tanzanian side made the Soweto giants look average when they dismantled Chiefs by 4-0 in the Toyota Cup at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Sunday.
Amakhosi’s fall from grace has been sad to witness, at least to their fans, having gone for nine years without silverware.
For a long time, the Glamour Boys have been known as the Cup kings, owing to their massive success and history in South African football.
Speaking to the media after the final whistle, Gamondi said there’s quite a lot that Chiefs need to do to get back to where they were a decade ago.
The coach pointed out some things most people have already identified as the root cause for Amakhosi’s problems.
The Argentinian, who won the league in South Africa with Mamelodi Sundowns in the 2005/06 season, said it will be tough for Nabi to turn Amakhosi’s fortune without big and experienced players.
“You cannot be a big team overnight, in my opinion, the expectations are too high because I always say you need players (to have success),” Gamondi said.
“Even (Pep) Guardiola said his success at Bayern Munich, Barcelona and (Man) City is about the players.
“In my case, I prefer to start slow and build step by step. Not to just think big, you need to be aware of reality.
“I think today, from a tactical point of view, we gave a lesson of how to play at the international level. It’s not easy, but you need to have players and I think today (Sunday) Kaizer Chiefs put four or five young players,” he said.
“You are not expected to win at a high level with young and inexperienced players. I’m not criticising the level of Kaizer Chiefs, but for me, the biggest club is difficult to manage, as are the players and the expectations.
“You create the biggest expectations and must perform on the pitch, no excuses. But I spoke with the coach and currently, he has a lot of work to do but I think again if you want to compete against a team like Sundowns, (Orlando) Pirates and Cape Town City you need to improve a lot.
“It’s not easy. Coaches can work during the week but if you don’t have quality, it’s going to be difficult,” Gamondi said.
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Looking at where the Soweto giants are and the players they have, Gamondi feels it’s a bit unfair to expect Nabi to win the league next season.
Chiefs finished in 10th position in the previous campaign, their worst achievement in the PSL’s history.
“Last season was bad, very bad for Kaizer Chiefs and you can’t change a team if you didn’t bring a star or a big player and that’s difficult,” Gamondi said.
“For that, they have to manage the expectations, especially for the fans. We must be careful how we pass the message. You must be realistic with the players you have and where you can go.
“For me, this upcoming season is probably a transition season for Kaizer Chiefs. This is the most logical thing and for me, I’m realistic.”
Young Africans coach Miguel Gamondi gives damning assessment of Kaizer Chiefs.
— Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) July 29, 2024
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