Former Kaizer Chiefs coach Khalil Ben Youssef reckons is not at the level to go toe-to-toe with rivals Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns for league honours and on the continent.
Youssef spent two seasons at Naturena, the first as one of the side’s assistant coaches where he and colleagues ended Chiefs’ 10 year trophy drought by winning the Nedbank Cup.
In his last campaign alongside Cedric Kaze as co-coaches, they led Chiefs to third place finish in the Betway Premiership and the group stages of the CAF Confederation Cup.
The gap between the three sides has been clear in the last decade with Sundowns dominating the local scene winning eight of the last nine league trophies while also winning the CAF Champions League twice.
Meanwhile, Pirates have been close to Sundowns having come second to the Brazilians three times in the last four terms and finally edging them to the title this past season in a treble winning campaign.
For Chiefs it’s been a tough decade that also saw them finish outside the top eight for two seasons in a row before their Ke Yona Cup triumph.
The Tunisian who has since parted ways with Amakhosi exclusively told iDiski Times senior journalist Lorenz Köhler in edition 260 of the newspaper that Chiefs still have work to do to close in on their competition including recruiting quality players.
“This was a discussion we had with the board, I think,” Youssef told iDiski Times.
“There are two ideas. To win the league is the first idea, be like Sundowns, bring the best players in the league, you bring the most expensive players from outside. And like that, you expect to win, because you have the best squad.
“The second idea – it’s mixed, like Orlando Pirates. Consistency, same game model, different coaches follow the same model inside the club. Same players, I think Pirates have had the same core over three seasons, maybe a few changes every couple of games. Their recruitment is not about spending a lot of money, but good players for their system, and they are succeeding in their recruitment side.
“The third option is Kaizer Chiefs’ solution, bringing in younger players with potential, who need time to be able to perform. This kind of project you need time and patience over four, five years, with the same game model, same project. You have to continue the process to work. After five, six years, you will be able to compete.
“Look at the gap of Sundowns, Pirates and Chiefs – last five years, the gap was big, and the team is not really ready to compete [next season]. The solution needed is three or four top-quality players that can give you the right performances to win games and help you compete. The team is far to compete for the PSL and even the Confederation Cup. It will be tough.
“Next season, if they stay in the top four, not top three, I think it would be a good performance for coach Fernando da Cruz, and I know he’s one of the best coaches in Africa. In CAF, if they reach the quarter-final, it will be a big result. But that’s being realistic.
“However, as a big team, there are ambitions, you are Kaizer Chiefs and every season you need to win trophies, MTN8, Carling Cup, Nedbank Cup, you know any team can win these cups. Durban City won last season; it was Magesi in the Carling Cup. So, you are able to win a trophy. But for the league or Confederation Cup, the team is not ready to win.”
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