Stanley Nwabali backs Sinethemba Badela to improve Chippa United

Speaking at the club’s season opening media engagement yesterday, Nwabali pointed at their recent pre-season camp in Johannesburg, where they played matches against Premier Soccer League’s top division sides and foreign teams.

Using these as a yardstick, the Nigerian shot-stopper believes the only way is up under Badela’s guidance ahead of their first competitive match of the season.

"From my own side, having a new manager and talking about working with a lot of [different] managers in the couple of seasons I've been at this club, I feel like this season is going to be better than last season," said Nwabali.

"Like the coach said, we tried to make the top eight last season but football showed us another dimension.

"But I feel like with the kind of players we have this season and the new management we have, the club is going to do better this season because it's going to be an improvement for me, as a team and also as a player, to see ourselves do better."

READ: Sinethemba Badela hungry for elite tests

Chippa begin their campaign against defending Betway Premiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday, and Badela says he is under no pressure with a results-driven mandate.

"Obviously we would like to improve as a team from the previous season, the team was close to getting into the top eight," said Badela.

"So we would like to improve in terms of that, but the club has not put me under any pressure to say, 'We need you to be in the top eight, top four or win the league.'

"The only pressure I have is to make sure I improve the players, together with my technical team, so that's the main objective. 

"And once the players improve, obviously the team will also improve and then the results will improve. So it's a process, we have to trust the process, work hard."