Ben Youssef demands more from Chiefs after strong start to season

Kaizer Chiefs have been on an upward trajectory, and assistant coach Khalil Ben Youssef is demanding even more from his squad as they prepare to host Richards Bay at FNB Stadium on Tuesday (7.30pm kick-off).

Amakhosi have made a strong start to the season, winning both of their opening two matches. As they look to build on that momentum, they face a Richards Bay side that defeated them 2-0 the last time the teams met earlier this year.

Both sides recorded victories over each other last season. While Chiefs enter the clash with the confidence of a perfect start, the Natal Rich Boyz come off back-to-back defeats. The result could prove crucial for either team and may set the tone for the rest of their campaigns — a tone the KwaZulu-Natal outfit will likely want to avoid.

Ben Youssef anticipates a tough challenge and has urged his squad to deliver an even stronger performance than in their first two matches.

“After last season we understand that it’s tough for our players to keep the same attitude; a win was always followed by a tough match,” Ben Youssef said, ahead of the game.

“We also found it difficult playing against teams that play with a low block. Our target this season is to keep our players always ready for the next match, and we will take every game as a cup game.

“Our focus will be fully on Richards Bay, and only after we finish the game against them will we look forward to the next one.

“We are trying to put our players under pressure for time during training to help them deal with teams that are playing the low block.

“With the Polokwane City and Stellenbosch FC matches done, we are happy about the results but not so happy about the performance because we can do better.”

In the absence of head coach Nasreddine Nabi, who has missed all the opening matches due to a family matter in Tunisia, Ben Youssef has stepped up alongside fellow assistant Cedric Kaze. Their guidance has been seamless so far.

Ben Youssef also addressed the absence of striker Flavio Silva, who has yet to feature since being signed earlier in the transfer window.

“We are a big team; we are not dependent on Silva,” Ben Youssef continued.

“We are a team, and whoever is ready will play. If they are with us, they deserve to play in this team. We have Naledi (Hlongwane) and Wandile Duba, and we are waiting for Silva, but for us in the technical team, whoever is ready will play.

“When Silva is ready he will give us more solutions. When his paperwork is complete, he will provide options and help us, but for now we are focusing on the players who are available.”

The Chiefs assistant coach embraced the challenge ahead this season and, without getting carried away by their promising start, was clear about the team’s ambitions.

“We do not have any pressure. We take it game by game. We are a big team, and with every big team, when you play competitions, you have to win them. We will compete in all of them, but ensure we approach every game one at a time.

“We are Kaizer Chiefs. We are not just here to play in the middle of the table or to enjoy ourselves; we are here to win all the titles. But we try not to put pressure on our players.

“We have won two games at the start of the league, and there are still 28 games to go. Our targets are in our minds: we want to win every competition, but we are taking it game by game.”