Smiso Msomi
Former Kaizer Chiefs man Willard Katsande has thrown his weight behind new head coach Nasreddine Nabi with the 2024/25 Betway Premiership season set to kick off at the weekend.
Excitement and anticipation for the new campaign have been revved up by the Amakhosi following their major restructuring project that saw the Tunisian mentor handed the duty to lay a sustainable foundation for years to come.
The Naturena-based club has gone nearly a decade without silverware.
Their downward spiral could be likened to that of English giants Liverpool, who went through a barren run before a certain German genius walked through their door to awaken the sleeping giants.
Full time score: KZN Legends 0 : 1 Kaizer Chiefs Legends (Phala)#Amakhosi4Life #KCLegends #PrinceMangosuthuLegacyCup pic.twitter.com/hHyfnm0hyS
— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) September 7, 2024
Chiefs will know Nabi is no Jurgen Klopp but will hope he has the charisma, motivation and winning mentality to get the club’s supporters back to the stadium and singing one tune again.
One such fan is former Amakhosi midfielder Katsande, who won two league titles and an MTN8 medal in his 10-year stay at the club between 2011 and 2021.
The 38-year-old now plays for the club’s Legends team and caught up with the media at the Prince Mangosuthu Legacy Cup on Saturday.
He believes that the positivity around the Glamour Boys at the moment will play a crucial role in the club returning to its former glory and expressed his support for the new man at the helm as well as the players.
“You have to respect the club for the decision that they’ve taken in appointing the coach. I’m 100% positive that he will make an impact as well as the new players (and those) that have been there for a long time as well,” he said.
“The most important thing for supporters and football lovers is to be patient because football is a project whereby nothing is achieved overnight. Maybe the coach’s philosophy will rub off after six months while others hit the ground running, but the most important thing is to see what the team is trying to achieve.”
Amakhosi do not have any MTN8 and CAF competition duty this season, having finished tenth in the league standings last season.
Welcome back to the Kaizer Chiefs Family #Amakhosi4Life #AlwaysHome pic.twitter.com/PSgEe1vcBn
With the league realistically too far off their radar, Nabi will be expected to target either one of the Carling Knockout Cup or the Nedbank Cup as a signal of a turnaround in fortunes.
Katsande believes that winning any trophy will serve as a huge boost for the club’s morale and spirit and will go a long way in helping the dressing room believe they’re on the right track.
“If we target qualifying for CAF and then maybe try snatching a trophy to redeem ourselves again, we’ve been talking that this might be our season but now we need to push and win something so the luck can start building from within to have that success back.”
Chiefs will open their campaign with a tricky trip to recently returned Marumo Gallants at the Free State Stadium on Saturday at 5.30pm.