Tactical tweak: How midfield discipline and structural order revived Kaizer Chiefs’ season

Kaizer Chiefs’ chances of finishing in the Top 3 have gathered momentum after winning five games in a row this week. However, given the high spirits in camp, the team is not ruling out a potential runners-up finish in the Betway Premiership.

Chiefs thrashed Magesi 4-1 at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium on Wednesday night to secure five consecutive league wins – their best run since winning eight in a row during the 2019/20 season under Ernst Middendorp.

The victory cemented Chiefs’ third place on the log with 45 points after 23 rounds of matches. They trail second-placed Orlando Pirates, who have played one game more, by 10 points.

With Chiefs set to face Pirates in the return leg of their league clash at FNB Stadium on April 26, Amakhosi could head into that Soweto derby with a slight advantage if they beat Polokwane City away on Saturday and Pirates drop points at home to AmaZulu earlier in the day.

Nonetheless, Chiefs are not overly focused on their rivals in the race for a top-three finish amid their purple patch, as they are taking each game as it comes.

“With still seven games to play, we need to continue to fight,” said co-coach Khalil Ben Youssef, after the win over Magesi.

“At the end of the season, we will see which position we can finish in. If we can finish in the top two, we will continue to fight.

“The most important thing is our performance in every game. We have to treat every game as a final, then we will see where we finish.”

A Top 2 finish would be ideal for Chiefs. It would not only secure qualification for the coveted CAF Champions League next season, but could also extend the stay of Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze beyond the current campaign.

Before this purple patch, the duo were under immense pressure due to a poor run of form, with calls from disgruntled fans and former coaches for the club to part ways with them before the end of their interim stint in May.

However, Ben Youssef argued that support had always been there, but the team had been let down by a blunt attack and injury setbacks. He believes a shift in mentality has driven the turnaround.

“It’s about the mentality that we have,” Ben Youssef said.

“We held a lot of meetings together, trying to discuss the situation. After our analysis, we realised that we didn’t do well because of our mistakes, so we had to correct them. When you make the right analysis and react to your mistakes, the important thing is to approach every game as a final.”

Chiefs will not have it easy in their final seven matches. With Polokwane City aiming to cement a top-eight finish for the third season in a row, they are expected to be tough opponents at home on Saturday. However, Ben Youssef is confident his side can continue their winning streak.

“When we started the season, we said we would approach every game like a cup final,” he said.

“Every game is difficult, and we have to fight. The most important thing is that we focus on ourselves and our performances.

“Inshallah, we will be at our best and deliver the same performances as in the last few games. We need to win this match and continue to fight.”

Sitting third on the log and keeping pace with second-placed Pirates already marks progress for Chiefs. They failed to reach the 40-point mark in the last two seasons and missed out on the top eight, something Ben Youssef described as unacceptable for a club of Chiefs’ stature.

“I think it’s the minimum for a big team like Kaizer Chiefs to be in the top three. It requires consistency,” Ben Youssef said. “Last season we won the Nedbank Cup, but I think this season we are better in the league.

“We need to continue to fight and build our team. In the next few seasons, I believe the team will be ready to win trophies and become one of the best in Africa.”