It seems that the Kaizer Chiefs players are responding better to instructions from Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze than they did under the previous head coach, Nasreddine Nabi.
Last month, Amakhosi announced Nabi’s departure after just 15 months at the club. Since then, his two assistants, Ben Youssef and Kaze, have taken over as co-coaches until the end of the season.
Despite a challenging first season for Nabi, he managed to lead the Soweto giants to their first cup victory in 10 years by winning the Nedbank Cup.
Are the Chiefs performing better under Ben Youssef and Kaze?
During Nabi’s short tenure, Ben Youssef often worked behind the scenes, and it’s argued that the club’s goalkeeper coach, Ilyes Mzoughi, played a significant role in the technical team.
Some fans began to notice Ben Youssef’s influence during Nabi’s suspension when he guided Chiefs into the Nedbank Cup last 16 with a convincing performance against Free Agents, followed by a narrow 1-0 victory over Sekhukhune in the league.
“We have the same team with and without coach Nabi. We work the same with and without him… there’s no difference,” Ben Youssef said back in January after rare back-to-back wins for Chiefs.
“The only difference is that we didn’t concede, and that was luck. Maybe we conceded in other games with coach Nabi because we were unlucky,” he added as per SowetanLive.
Some fans criticised the assistant coach, suggesting he was protecting Nabi, who was under fire at the time. Following a poor pre-season, expectations were low for the Glamour Boys, and just days before the current Betway Premiership kicked off, Nabi was forced to return to Tunisia due to his wife’s serious accident.
After Ben Youssef and Kaze took over, they inspired Chiefs to three wins in their opening three matches.
During this impressive run, fans began to question whether Nabi was the problem. However, Ben Youssef’s charm reassured everyone, claiming that Nabi was still providing instructions from Tunisia.
Ben Youssef and Cedric getting the best out of Chiefs players
Upon Nabi’s return, he drew and then lost his third match in charge against Sekhukhune United, the same team his assistants had previously defeated.
His arrival seemed to disrupt the team’s momentum, leading to the first goal conceded and their first loss of the season.
Following Nabi’s suspension, he was eventually released, leaving his assistants in charge. Under Kaze and Ben Youssef, Chiefs have re-entered the title race and reached the group stages of the CAF Confederation Cup.
The duo appears to be getting the best out of their players, achieving six league wins and four draws as co-coaches.