Pre-season isn’t just about showing off new signings and scoring goals — for Kaizer Chiefs, it’s been a serious boot camp.
Their new head coach, Nasreddine Nabi, is making it clear: the real work starts long before the first whistle of the season.
The team recently wrapped up their pre-season tour in the Netherlands, and while the results may have raised some eyebrows — just one win in five matches — Nabi says there’s a bigger picture at play.
The Bigger Picture Behind Pre-Season Struggles
Despite the losses, Nabi isn’t worried. Speaking to the club’s media team, he revealed that the focus wasn’t on results, but on building endurance and mental strength.
“One of the most important ingredients for a successful season is laying the groundwork during pre-season,” Nabi explained.
“We didn’t just want to play strong teams — we wanted to play often.
At the same time, we were pushing the players with intense physical sessions, sometimes even doubling up the day before matches.”
Pushing Players to Their Limits — On Purpose
That exhaustion fans may have noticed? It was completely intentional.
According to Nabi, it’s all part of preparing the squad for a demanding 2025/26 season — not just in the local league, but also on the continental stage.
“We need our players to be able to perform when they’re running on empty,” he said.
“CAF Confederation Cup matches will involve long travel and quick turnarounds, so the players have to be mentally and physically tough.”
Training Through Fatigue to Build Mental Toughness
To drill that mindset in, Nabi and his coaching staff didn’t let up even after matches.
“There was one day we held two full training sessions the day after a friendly,” he revealed.
“We also scheduled back-to-back friendlies, playing on two consecutive days — it wasn’t just for the challenge, but also to make sure every player had a chance to rack up minutes.”
The goal? Get every player used to pushing past their limits while managing their game time wisely.
Next Up: Home Clash in the Toyota Cup
Now back home, Chiefs fans can finally see the squad in action on local soil.
Their next pre-season fixture is set against Ghana’s Asante Kotoko in the Toyota Cup this coming weekend — and it’ll be a real test of all the hard work they’ve put in over the past few weeks.
Will This Strategy Pay Off?
The real test for Nasreddine Nabi starts when the competitive games begin.
But for now, he’s laying the foundation — and betting that building resilience early will pay off deep into the season.