Gaston Sirino was outstanding on his Kaizer Chiefs debut. Picture: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
It would be easy to jump to too many conclusions after Nasreddine Nabi’s Kaizer Chiefs got off to a winning start on Saturday in their Betway Premiership opener.
ALSO READ: Is Samir Nurkovic moving back to Kaizer Chiefs?
The domestic league campaign is, after all, a marathon, not a sprint and one win does not make a competitive side.
But there were signs in Amakhosi’s performance against Marumo Gallants that have to give their supporters hope that ‘Nabi-ball’ will finally wake a sleeping Soweto giant.
It was important that Chiefs got off to a good start under Nabi. Amakhosi management have thrown their weight behind their new Tunisian head coach in the transfer market, not to mention the substantial fee it would have cost them to get Nabi and his coaching staff on board.
On top of this Chiefs are coming off the embarrassment of a tenth-place finish last season, their worst ever finish in the domestic top flight.
It wouldn’t take much for Chiefs’ fans to turn on their new head coach, if matters quickly went awry. Mercifully for Nabi and Chiefs, a lot of boxes were ticked on Saturday.
Chiefs’ new signings look immediately fit for purpose, with Gaston Sirino giving a near-perfect debut performance. The Uruguayan looked like a man determined to both excel for Chiefs and send a message to Mamelodi Sundowns that they were wrong to let him go.
Rushwin Dortley and Inacio Miguel look to have the makings of a solid central defensive partnership, while left back Bradley Cross was also outstanding, though the decision to give him the Man-of-the-Match Award ahead of Sirino was absurd.
ALSO READ: Nabi gives verdict on more Chiefs signings
Perhaps more important even than the new signings, however, is the faith Nabi put in Chiefs’ young guns in his opening match. Players that come through a club’s development ranks and excel in the first team just bring an extra connection between the club and its fans.
It was clear how much it meant to both Mduduzi Shabalala and Mfundo Vilakazi in the way they celebrated their goals on Saturday. Shabalala looked overwhelmed with emotion after his equaliser, and Vilakazi just went ballistic.
It is only the start for Nabi, but he passed his first exam with flying colours.
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.
