Durban City FC head coach Khalil Ben Youssef has explained why former Kaizer Chiefs winger Gaston Sirino started on the bench in their Betway Premiership opener against Sekhukhune United on Saturday night.
The encounter between the Citizens and Babina Noko took place at the Seshego Stadium, just outside Polokwane. Sekhukhune managed to secure a 1-0 victory over Durban City, courtesy of Bright Ndlovu’s 27th-minute strike.
Sirino joined the KwaZulu-Natal outfit last month following the expiration of his contract with Amakhosi at the end of June. The move reunited the Uruguayan with Ben Youssef, whom he worked under during their time together at Naturena.
The 33-year-old was introduced as a second-half substitute, coming on in the 46th minute to replace Thabo Nodada.
Speaking to the media at Seshego Stadium, Ben Youssef revealed that physical conditioning and tactical decisions dictated Sirino’s limited minutes.
‘GASTON SIRINO WAS INJURED’: KHALIL BEN YOUSSEF
“Well, Sirino was injured. He started to train only in three training sessions this week. He was two weeks out, so he’s not able to play 90 minutes. So, for that, we kept him for the second half,” Ben Youssef explained.
“I think the plan of the game was to choose Lwamba [Jean Lubumba] because we need someone who is more mobile. About the mobility of Lwamba, he is fast and he can give us solutions in the deep, and it was the plan of the first half if you see how many balls he received behind the line of defense.”
Ben Youssef further detailed his tactical adjustment in the second stanza as Durban City chased the game.
“Then in the second half, we were losing 1-0, we took the risk and put Lwamba and Morris [Tashreeq Morris] together, and it was the idea to play them wide and to finish with the crosses using Lwamba and Morris in the box,” he added.
“Unfortunately, Morris got two opportunities with his head and he was unlucky not to score. But like I said, the most important thing is the performance of the players. However, I’m happy about the performance. I know the result wasn’t good, but it’s the first game and still a lot of games to play, and I’m proud of the players. The result will come after.”
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