Kaizer Chiefs coach explains how AFCON break will benefit Amakhosi

Kaizer Chiefs coach Khalil Ben Youssef feels the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations break is godsend for his team as he will use it to correct most of what has been ailing them this season.

Chiefs end the year in fourth place on the PSL table with 24 points from 13 matches, four behind leaders Orlando Pirates, and while that is an improvement from last season, it does not tell the whole story.

The Glamour Boys would be top of the table by now had they not been dropping easy points due to the high number of games they have drawn. Chiefs have drawn five matches so far but most of them would easily have been wins had they been taking their chances.

How do Chiefs plan to use AFCON break?

Just like last season, Chiefs are among the teams creating the most chances in the PSL but their conversion rate is poor, leading to several missed opportunities that have denied them wins, especially against mid and lower table opposition.

It has left Ben Youssef frustrated but he feels the upcoming break will be crucial in rectifying their problems for a better second half of the season.

“We dominated the last two games and created a lot of opportunities but we have the same problems in the last third,” said Ben Youssef in reference to back-to-back goalless draws against Chippa United and TS Galaxy last week.

“We are unlucky not to score but now we have this [AFCON] break to fix this problem and to think about how we can continue [moving] forward.”

Ben Youssef sees improvements but…

The Tunisian coach feels there have been lots of improvements in key areas this term but they need to get it right when it comes to what matters most.

“We are so happy about the performance of the team in the last few games. I think the team performed very well but all of us are frustrated about missing points because we are not scoring the opportunities we get,” he added.

“We have to continue to work, we have to fix this problem. I think the most important thing is the performance of the team, the team is performing well, we don’t have to be scared about the team – when the team is not performing well, that’s a very big problem for us.”

Chiefs are lucky that they do not have a player called up to the Bafana Bafana team for AFCON 2025 with only Mduduzi Shabalala selected among the three on standby, allowing them to have a full house during the AFCON break, which will give them a head start against the others.