Kaizer Chiefs: Why Cedric Kaze and Ben Youssef could land the job permanently

Kaizer Chiefs co-coaches Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef have received a lot of criticism during their time in charge of the Glamour Boys but do they deserve more credit or even an extended stay?

The two coaches were thrust into the limelight when they were elevated from Nasreddine Nabi’s assistants to co-coaches last September after their boss left the Soweto giants for unclear reasons.

Nabi had started the season with four wins and a draw in his opening five matches and when he lost his sixth game, news came in that he was set to leave but he did not exit with his backroom staff which stayed on to steady the ship.

However, the two co-coaches did not have a great run as inconsistencies hurt the Soweto giants and at the turn of the year, they were knocked out of all cup competitions, increasing calls for the two to be fired immediately.

Further a run of four straight losses between February and March added to the calls for the coaching duo to go but their current form may start to change opinions.

Kaizer Chiefs co-coaches on best run in recent years  

Chiefs have put together not just their best run of wins in recent years but have their highest points total in four years and still with seven games to play.

Their 4-1 thrashing of relegation-bound Magesi FC on Wednesday boosted their hopes of finishing third and clinching the CAF Confederation Cup ticket and there is even a dream of catching second-placed Orlando Pirates, who are 10 points away, having played a game more, and with the Soweto Derby just around the corner.

The manner in which Chiefs dispatched Magesi showed a team high confidence and well-drilled, the win coming after they had started this impressive run with a 1-0 victory over Durban City, followed up by a 2-0 triumph of Magesi and then overcame Orbit College 3-1 and TS Galaxy 2-0.

It is not a new coach or different players but Kaze and Ben Youssef still in charge during this great run, which could extend to six on Saturday, when they visit Polokwane City.

Why Cedric Kaze and Ben Youssef may land the job

So far, Chiefs have 45 points from 23 matches, already 13 more than the whole of last season, when they finished ninth, and nine more than their 10^th-place finish of 2023-24. Further, they have one point more than what they managed in 2022-23 and on course to beat the haul of 47, recorded in 2021-22, when they finished fifth.

With 21 more points to play for, Chiefs could be on course for their best season in six years as the highest they have managed since winning the league in 2014-15 (when they had 69 points) is 57 points, which earned them a second-place finish under veteran Ernst Middendorp in 2019-20.

Were they to achieve that, Kaze and Ben Youssef would have done a commendable job which would   force a rethink within Chiefs’ hierarchy and even among observers as well as fans who have doubted them ever since they were appointed.

Chiefs are widely expected to bring in a new coach at the end of the season but in the form they are currently in, it would not be a surprise if they chose to stick with the ‘devil’ they know rather than an angel they do not know.