Thabo Cele draws strength from Durban fans ahead of Toyota Cup clash
Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Thabo Cele says returning to Durban and playing in front of his home fans continues to inspire him to push harder and give his best.
Amakhosi lost four and won one of their friendly games, going down 2-1 to Vitesse Arnhem, 4-0 to Utrecht, 1-0 to NEC Nijmegen and 2-1 to FC Twente, while beating PEC Zwolle 1-0.
Nabi used the games to test his team while integrating new players into his squad, and despite the losses, he felt that overall the tour was a benefit to the team.
He told the club's website: "We saw a lot of positives in our training matches against very strong Dutch opponents. The players have started to understand the way I want them to play and they jell well as a strong unit."
Nabi added: "Our camp took place in beautiful surroundings. The fields on which we trained were in perfect condition and our opponents were really good. As a result of all this, the pre-season camp was beneficial to everyone.
"One of the conditions of having a good season is having a good pre-season - that's where the foundation is laid.
"We didn't only want quality opponents, we also wanted quantity. Parallel with this, we did some tough physical work at training, even doing double-sessions on the day before a match."
New signings Nkanyiso Shinga, Ethan Chislett, Thabiso Monyane and Flavio Silva all got a chance to impress the Amakhosi head coach, who added: 'They need to fully jell with the group.
"However, they are all adapting nicely, and they start to understand what I expect from them. Our objective was to sign new players that will bring us to a higher level compared to last season."