The most pleasing experience – Miguel loves Chiefs’ culture
After a turbulent start to his tenure at Kaizer Chiefs, coach Nasreddine Nabi is gearing up for post-Soweto Derby redemption.
Following a challenging loss to their arch-rivals, Orlando Pirates, Nabi has stressed the importance of moving forward and focusing on the upcoming Premiership clash against AmaZulu at the FNB Stadium this Tuesday.
KCTV Premiere tonight on SuperSport PSL (202) at 8pm! ✌️✌️ #Amakhosi4Life pic.twitter.com/9LjKo52Jye
— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) February 3, 2025
“I don’t want an excuse after we lost this game against Pirates, and it is not good. We lost three points, but we have another opportunity in the other derby sometime this season," Nabi stated, highlighting the critical need for a fresh mindset among his players.
With the squad grappling with inconsistency, as evidenced by Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Pirates—marking their third loss in the last five league matches — Nabi is keen on turning the team's fortunes around.
"I am happy with the progress of my team. Over the past five to six months, the team has progressed with this (rebuilding) project. When you compare it to last season, the mentality has changed in the team,” he remarked.
Central defender Inácio Miguel echoed Nabi's sentiments, turning his attention to the threat posed by AmaZulu, particularly due to the presence of Arthur Zwane, who serves as co-coach alongside Vusumuzi Vilakazi.
Miguel noted, "The AmaZulu coach is a legend of Kaizer Chiefs and a former team coach as well. I'm sure he's got the intelligence of what's going on in our camp."
Determined to bounce back, Miguel expressed the squad's resolve to secure victory against AmaZulu.
“It's a game where we want to come out with a victory after losing the last game. It doesn't matter if it's a derby or a cup game, but when we lose the previous game, we always want to win the next one," Miguel emphasised.
"We have the opportunity to make a strong comeback so that we can climb up the log table. We have to show more hunger than we showed in the derby. We want to improve the image we left in the last game, and there's no fatigue whatsoever.”
Currently sitting fifth on the Betway Premiership standings, a victory over AmaZulu could see AmaKhosi rise to fourth. For Miguel, who was born in Portugal but represents the Angola national team, his Soweto Derby debut on Saturday was an emotional experience.
"It was my first Soweto derby, and emotions were everywhere. It was an amazing day for me to feel the real derby of Africa. For me, it is the biggest derby on the continent," he shared. "Unfortunately, we couldn't get a victory."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E68ChJLeN0Reflecting on his experience, Miguel expressed, "I have been a professional footballer for maybe 11 years, but I can say without any problem that playing for Kaizer Chiefs has been the most pleasing experience not only because of the support but because of everything — the club structure, the love you get everywhere in Durban, Polokwane or Cape Town. It has been amazing.”
Looking ahead to the match against AmaZulu, Chiefs will be bolstered by the return of newcomer Tashreeq Morris, available after serving a suspension against Pirates. However, the team will be without Njabulo Blom, who is suspended after conceding a penalty in the previous match.
As Amakhosi's joint-top scorer, Mduduzi Shabalala will lead the charge in securing a victory against a revitalised AmaZulu side, with hopes of climbing higher in the standings.