THE optimists were chanting “the glory days are back again” after Kaizer Chiefs opened the 2024/25 Premiership season with a 2-1 victory over newcomers Marumo Gallants last weekend.
The pessimists retorted by saying it is way too early and that you can’t read too much into a hard-fought victory over such a lowly opponent.
Not that Nasreddine Nabi, the Tunisian coach of Amakhosi, would have given any of those much thought.
He is too experienced a coach to read too much into one win. After all, don’t they say the championship is a marathon and not a sprint?
For the Chiefs fans who have endured a long period of suffering as the club failed to win any silverware in the past nine seasons, small victories such as those against Gallants are understandably celebrated with gusto.
And you can bet they would love to celebrate yet again tonight as their team take on AmaZulu out at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban (7.30pm kick-off) for their second match of the season.
They’d be pleased to hear that morale in the Chiefs camp is high, and the players are eager to give Usuthu a pasting, just like they did Gallants.
“The team as a whole started the season on a good note. We are glad to get the win, although personally, I could have done better,” said Samkelo Zwane, who started against Gallants, but was later ejected from the field.
He said yesterday that they have done their homework on AmaZulu and they are aware of what Usuthu will bring to the match, and have devised plans to overcome all of that.
Fascinatingly, Zwane believes that Chiefs remain the team to beat in the domestic league, in spite of their recent wretched seasons.
“When you play for Kaizer Chiefs, every team wants to show up against us, so it’s going to be a tough game. But we are prepared well and we are just excited for the game.”
That excitement will have to translate into an excitingly attacking display that yields goals to convince the Doubting Thomases that this is going to be a different season for Chiefs compared to the previous campaign, in which they failed to finish in the top eight.
Zwane said that all has been well in camp since that season opener, and he loves that “everyone is supportive, whether playing or not. We help and learn from each other”.
He said that they are fast adapting to Nabi’s ways.
“The coach emphasises his game model, which is direct in how he wants us to play, and if you don’t do that, you know the story,” Zwane said, chuckling, as he explained that it is Nabi’s way or the highway.
Chiefs are going to an Usuthu side that lost their opening match of the season at the death against Polokwane City, following a howler by goalkeeper Veli Mothwa, and they will no doubt be hoping that he is still suffering from the jitters.
Wishing the Khosi Family a Happy Heritage Day!🇿🇦
— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) September 24, 2024
Today we celebrate the rich diversity and unity that makes our country special.
How are you celebrating your heritage today?#Amakhosi4Life #HeritageDay #AlwaysHome pic.twitter.com/KuT5wWfWqS
Mothwa has managed to hold on to his place in the Bafana Bafana squad despite that costly error against Polokwane City as well as against Uganda, with coach Hugo Broos keeping faith in him for the back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations qualifying clashes with Congo Brazzaville next month.
It is likely that AmaZulu coach Pablo Franco Martin will also show his confidence in him and start with him against Chiefs tonight.