The project of Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi went awry on Sunday when Cape Town City, who played second fiddle for the greater part of the game, ran out 1-0 winners in the Betway Premiership clash at Cape Town Stadium, in Green Point.
In recent times, Nabi did not take kindly to media questions about Chiefs’ lack of consistency or poor performances. He invariably responded, saying he was busy with a project, and it remained a work in progress as the season unfolded.
After Sunday’s match, the media adopted a similar line of questioning and Nabi assured them that he was still in the process of instilling his way of playing, without fearing for his position as Chiefs' head coach.
“It’s been six months, and we feel that regarding our game model, the team has changed, especially in how we play. The inconsistency of the results doesn't help,” said Nabi.
“If I was afraid for my spot (job), if I wanted to, I could play a mid-block or play defensive. I could look for counter-attacks with (striker) Ashley du Preez, who is very fast, and get a winning result in that way.
“But that is not the DNA of this big club. We want this big club to play attractive football, and attractive football means a lot of risks.
“We have to build on these performances and believe we are going to continue to improve with every game."
Nabi has called on the players to “step up” their game so that the team can improve to the extent of winning matches. He will persevere with the players in the current squad but will look at the possibilities during the transfer window.
“The first thing is for every player to step up and be calmer when we get into those situations to make better decisions and make more movement to support the play," said Nabi.
“The striker can give more opportunities and something more, but he can't resolve everything.
“It's obvious when you look at the squad that there is a need to strengthen the team. We don't want to throw our players under the bus by saying that they are not good.
"They (the players) are good because today they are in our squad. They are in our team but with every transfer window, we will take the opportunity to try to strengthen the team.
“The club is working hard to find the best opportunities for this team. We hope to improve our squad. We don't feel that a new striker can resolve all the issues we have been having in the final third."
Chiefs hope to return to winning ways when they host the high-riding Stellenbosch FC at the FNB Stadium tomorrow. Nabi wants his side to be ruthless in the strikers' zone.
“We were creating opportunities, but lacked good decisions, especially in the last third. It’s been an issue when we fail to score even after we create many opportunities. The only thing we can do is to go back and work hard.”