Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi has revealed three factors that affected them not to build momentum after a good start to the season.
Nabi seemed to have hit the ground running following his appointment as Chiefs won their first two league matches and also won the Carling Knockout first clash 4-0 against SuperSport United.
Amakhosi supporters started to fill out stadiums again and there was a huge hype that the glory days could be on the horizon under the Tunisian.
However, losses against Mamelodi Sundowns, both in the Betway Premiership and Carling Knockout gave Chiefs a reality check and they had a dip in form after that.
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Following a narrow 1-0 win over Chippa United on Sunday, which was the first time Chiefs kept a clean-sheet in the league, Nabi has given three reasons why they could not maintain a good start.
"We feel that at the beginning of the league the quality was better than, let's say, the last two, three games but this has an explanation," Nabi told reporters at Moses Mabhida Stadium after the match.
"There's two factors, the first one is when you play a lot of young players, the inconsistency of the performance is normal.
"And the second thing is we've been having a lot of injuries that have been impacting our performance on the field and impacted the results as well, which brought so much pressure on the team, on the coach, from outside, it impacted our players.
"That's what we said before, they play with a handbrake, with the fear not to lose but we believe after this game we can build from this," the Tunisian said.
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The former AS FAR Rabat coach interjected his interpreter and assistant coach Cedric Kaze and also added that the media pressure was getting to the them as a team.
"You understand what I'm trying to say? You have three factors," Nabi continued.
"Pressure from the media, pressure from outside (as well), it stopped a little bit the progression but we're gonna build," the 59-year-old coach concluded.
Up next for Chiefs is a trip to Cape Town, a big test against Cape Town City on Sunday evening at DHL Cape Town Stadium.