Kaizer Chiefs legend Tsepo Masilela has urged Amakhosi’s coaching duo, Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze, to step up and deliver results as the club battles through a crucial stretch of the season.
Despite a strong start to the 2025/26 campaign, Chiefs have stumbled in recent weeks, dropping eight points in their last four Betway Premiership fixtures. To make matters worse, the Glamour Boys fell to a 1-0 defeat against Angolan side Kabuscorp in the first leg of their CAF Confederation Cup preliminary tie.
Masilela Questions Bench Impact
Speaking on Soccer Beat, Masilela highlighted a worrying lack of influence from Chiefs’ substitutes in recent matches.
“It’s a big concern and looking at the upcoming fixture, they are a goal down; they need goals. If they don’t attack, create and score, it means they are out; they are going home. They should also check and revisit what was working in their first five games, where they did not concede,” he explained.
Pressure on Kaizer Chiefs Coaches
With Nasreddine Nabi currently “suspended,” Chiefs’ fate lies in the hands of assistants Ben Youssef and Kaze. Masilela warned the pair that they cannot treat their roles lightly.
“The coaches, if they lose over the weekend, the pressure switches up. We’re not talking Nabi now; their heads are on the block. They need to know that they are not on holiday because Nabi just left, it’s a game of results,” Masilela stressed.
A Crucial Second Leg Ahead
Amakhosi will host Kabuscorp at FNB Stadium on Saturday, needing to overturn the first-leg deficit to keep their continental hopes alive. Masilela urged the team to draw lessons from their early-season form, where under Ben Youssef’s guidance, they managed three straight wins without conceding.
Nabi’s brief spell in charge included a heavy defeat to Sekhukhune United earlier this month, which left his future uncertain. Whether he returns or not, the immediate responsibility now rests firmly on the shoulders of Youssef and Kaze.
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