Kaizer Chiefs co-coach Cedric Kaze has responded to a question about his and Khalil Ben Youssef’s future at Naturena following Saturday’s Soweto Derby defeat by Orlando Pirates at FNB Stadium.
Anmakhosi were convincingly beaten 3-0 by the Buccaneers, compounding their Betway Premiership campaign. By dropping points, Chiefs missed out on an opportunity to close in on Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns on the table.
It was a heavy defeat that exposed the current crop of players’ struggle to rise to the big occasion. Chiefs had already entered the derby grappling with a difficult run of form, and Pirates worsened their situation.
In their last five matches across all competitions, Amakhosi have won just once and lost four times. They have also diminished their chances of ending the season with silverware after crashing out of the CAF Confederation Cup and Nedbank Cup within that period.
To highlight their struggles in attack during the difficult patch, Chiefs have scored five goals. Their defence has also been exposed by conceding 10 goals in those five outings.
Co-coaches Kaze and Ben Youssef find themselves under the microscope as doubts emerge over whether they are the right fit for the Chiefs hot seat. With the pressure mounting, speculation is already rife regarding how much longer the pair will remain at the helm of the Soweto giants.
KAZE ON CHIEFS’ MANAGEMENT STANCE ON HIM AND BEN YOUSSEF
Pressed on whether the technical team has shown enough to justify their positions at Chiefs, Kaze deflected the personal scrutiny. “I won’t answer that as it’s not my decision, but I believe the coaches are here because they are trusted by the leadership,” he remarked.
“It’s true that we have been in a series of bad results, but I believe that there are things that have worked in the past few months. We need to remind ourselves, we need to remind our players what has worked.
“For example, we need to look back at the first phase of the league and perhaps return to the basics of football. It’s about how well we defended—if we aren’t scoring, we must ensure we don’t concede. That is the only way to move forward.”
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