Kaizer Chiefs supporters will be wary of a Nasreddine Nabi jinx ahead of the big clash against Mamelodi Sundowns, with a suggestion made on why the players respond better under his assistant.
Nabi has been absent as Chiefs kept a 100% winning record since the start of the season, with three wins from as many matches against Stellenbosch FC, Polokwane City and Richards Bay FC.
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He, of course, would have been involved in the planning of matches but gave Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze the discretion to make final decisions while away on compassionate leave.
The 60-year-old is now back at Naturena and with the side’s perfect start on the line against the Tshwane giants on Wednesday, the fanbase will be watching with anxiety.
The accusations that Chiefs players seem to apply themselves with Ben Youssef calling the shots on the bench stretched back from last season, as the latter oversaw a 1-0 win over Sekhukhune United and a 4-0 victory over Free Agents in the Nedbank Cup, in a period where Amakhosi were underperforming and Nabi was suspended.
According to Benedict Vilakazi, the players could be preferring a softer approach.
"You know, it's a tricky one. You can find that maybe with coach Nabi, the problem is the message across to the players," Vilakazi said on omniaudioafrica YouTube Channel.
"Maybe the message across to the players creates an uncomfortable situations for players.
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"Because there are situations where I can't approach the coach to tell him how I feel, but I can talk to the assistant coach and he will understand how I feel, and he'll be with me in the whole process in terms of how I'm feeling."
The Soweto giants are also yet to concede under Ben Youssef from five matches, including two games from last term.
Photo by Daniel Hlongwane/Gallo Images
