Chiefs co-coaches move higher in comparison scale

Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze’s co-coaching arrangement at Kaizer Chiefs has placed them high up the ranks in comparison to all coaches that have been in charge at the club since the last league title was delivered in 2015.

For all the doubts that have accompanied their time in charge at Chiefs, Ben Youssef and Kaze have secured third place and a CAF Confederation Cup ticket, which guarantees the club continental football in consecutive years.

READ | Chiefs clinch CAF spot with two games to spare

With the 51 points accumulated, they are now ahead of Steve Komphela (whose best was 50 points), Giovanni Solinas/Ernst Middendorp (39 points), and Gavin Hunt (36 points).

Also below them is what Stuart Baxter did in his second spell at Naturena (47 points), Arthur Zwane (44 points), Molefi Ntseki/Cavin Johnson (36 points), and Nasreddine Nabi (32 points in 28 games).

What is even more impressive is that Ben Youssef and Kaze have achieved this with two games to spare.

The next target will be reaching 57 points, which is what Middendorp got to when Amakhosi gave away the 2019/20 league title on the last day by playing a draw with Baroka FC when a win would have left them dancing on the podium.

They have two games to play against AmaZulu FC on Saturday at Moses Mabhida Stadium and then Chippa United at the same venue on the last day of the season, and will reach 57 points if they win both.

That will double as the highest points tally since their last championship success with 69 points under Baxter in the 2014/15 season.

The Chiefs pair could reach this mark despite the recent struggles, which have had them winning only once in the last five.

"We knew that this game meant a lot for us to be sure about third position," pointed out Ben Youssef on Sunday after the 2-0 win over Sekhukhune United.

"Now we have to continue to fight, we still have six points in the league. We have to win these two games.

"We have to reach the maximum of the points that we can reach this season," says Ben Youssef, who has been in charge alongside Kaze for 25 league games.

READ: Chiefs pump star’s ‘happiness sphere’ despite…

Of note is that Nabi was only on the bench for three games – the goalless draw against Mamelodi Sundowns, 1-0 win away at Golden Arrows, and the 3-1 defeat to Sekhukhune.

For the other 25, it has been Ben Youssef and Kaze.

They have won 13, drawn eight, and lost four for a total of 47 points, which would have still been enough for third place at this stage with AmaZulu on 44 points in fourth place.