Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi has seen a young star make huge tactical strides. However, he’s warning other emerging players to do the same.
Nabi is impressed with Samkelo Zwane’s maturity
22-year-old Samkelo Zwane starred alongside Yusuf Maart in central midfield as Chiefs thumped SuperSport 4-0 in the Carling Knockout Round of 16. They face Sundowns next in a tantalising quarter-final clash.
“Zwane has worked a lot the last few months,” Nabi told the media after the match.
“And we believe that he has changed because before there was some tactical issues with him.
“He’s still young and maybe sometimes he wants to do unnecessary things, but we believe that it’s through games like that those young players are gonna grow.”
Nabi is backing the youngsters
Chiefs’ new Tunisian boss has also mentioned other young players at the club and encouraged others to step up to the plate. Wandile Duba and Mduduzi Shabalala were in the starting XI in each of Chiefs’ last two matches; Shabalala has been an ever-present for the Glamour Boys across all competitions this term.
“Not only him – it’s [Mduduzi] Shabalala, it’s [Wandile] Duba, and we believe that it’s a capital investment for the club,” Nabi added.
“And [Mfundo] Vilakazi, it’s a capital investment for the club. Those young players are coming from our academy and we need to show as well that all those young players they gonna have a chance if they prove themselves.
“We believe that they still have a lot of margin to progress. We haven’t seen the better of them yet, but we believe in the future, we will see the better of them.”
Carling Knockout quarter-final draw pits Kaizer Chiefs against Sundowns
Chiefs, Magesi, Richards Bay, and Marumo Gallants were in the unseeded pot. Meanwhile, Sundowns, Cape Town City, TS Galaxy and Stellenbosch were the seeded sides after finishing in the top eight last season. Amakhosi knew they were getting a seeded opponent and got the most difficult task on paper. However, if they can get past the Brazilians they’ll quietly fancy their chances of going all the way. Here’s the full draw with the holders Stellenbosch travelling to Limpopo to face Marumo Gallants.
- Richards Bay vs Cape Town City
- Kaizer Chiefs vs Mamelodi Sundowns
- TS Galaxy vs Magesi FC
- Marumo Gallants vs Stellenbosch FC
Are you a fan of Samkelo Zwane’s?
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