Is Duba Ready To Lead The Line At Chiefs? Nabi Responds
Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi has weighed in on whether striker Wandile Duba can be a reliable source of goals for Amakhosi next season following the youngster’s impact against Mamelodi Sundowns over the weekend.
The 20-year-old center-forward kickstarted Chiefs’ comeback 2-1 victory against the Brazilians with the equalizing goal before substitute Ashley du Preez sent Miguel Cardoso’s men crashing out of the Nedbank Cup semi-finals with the decisive goal in the latter stages.
Duba, who was promoted to the senior team in the 2022/23 season, has been lethal in front of goals, scoring six goals and providing three assists in 21 appearances across all competitions for the Naturena-based outfit this season.
Now, the Tunisian mentor has highlighted a major area of concern regarding the Chiefs academy graduate, stating that mental readiness will be key in the player’s long-term development as a top-level footballer.
“Regarding Duba, I think he has a lot of quality, physical quality and technical quality. The only problem that we work on every time with Duba is the mental problem,” said Nabi through a translator, assistant coach Khalil Ben Youssef.
“We know young players when they start to play regularly at a club with a lot of fans like Kaizer Chiefs, they’re not always 100% ready mentally. So, for that, we try to work through that [problem].”
However, while he acknowledges that Duba is not a finished article. Nabi says the starlet can be a focal point upfront going into the next campaign as they aim to address their goal-scoring woes.
This signifies the youngster’s importance in the Chiefs tactician’s project.
“Last season I think he had a lot of progression to make, and he can make it as a first or second choice striker next season, if he gives us solutions, why not?” added the 59-year-old, who in his debut season guided the Soweto giants to a first domestic cup final since 2019.
Eager to snap a four-game winless run, Chiefs will return to Betway Premiership action with a trip to Gqeberha, where they are set to take on Chippa United at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday [17:30].
The Glamour Boys have won two of their last five meetings with the Chilli Boys in the league, while the Chippa Mpengesi-owned side won as many matches as well, with the other encounter ending as a goalless stalemate in August 2023.
