Youssef: We Will Have A Break To Fix All Our Mistakes

Khalil Ben Youssef, head coach of Kaizer Chiefs. Photo: Gallo Images / Darren Stewart

Kaizer Chiefs ended 2025 in the Betway Premiership League with a goalless draw against TS Galaxy despite playing extremely well and creating a lot of opportunities. 

Talking to the media after the game, coach Khalil Ben Youssef said that they were extremely unfortunate on the day, but that the referee also played a part in them not winning the match, with some questionable calls during the game. 

However, Youssef added that the Christmas break, which coincides with AFCON in Morocco, has come at the right time as they will fix their mistakes.

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“I think we played one of the best games this season. I’m so proud of the performance of all the players. Today, from the first minute until the 96th minute, I think we dominated the game. 

“We created a lot of opportunities to score, but even when we scored, we were unlucky with what, in my opinion, was a wrong decision about the offside. It was also a clear penalty for us. We were unlucky that the referee didn’t see,” he revealed at the time.

He added that while several things may have gone their way, bad decision-making and technical mistakes from his team allowed the game to slip away in the final third of the match.

With his team struggling to find their groove, he believes that the upcoming break will be vital in ensuring that they realign themselves to their objectives.

“For us, I think the most important thing is the performance of the team. Now, we will have a break to fix all our mistakes and to continue to work. We know that next year it will be games every two days, and now we will have this time to fix everything and to restart and to continue to work,” Youssef told the media.

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Talking about Luke Baartman, who came in at the 80th minute, Youssef said Baartman did very well, as he created some opportunities and that every player deserves to play now.

“I think all the players deserve to play. We have a big squad now, and there is a lot of competition between the players. For us as the coaches, we attend the training session and see which player is more ready for the game. 

“We prepare the plan of the game and know when we have to make the substitutions at the right moment. Baartman was in at the 80th minute and played very well in the last 10 minutes. He created a lot of opportunities for us. We have to continue to work. The most important thing is the team and not the player,” the coach concluded. 

Amakhosi’s next Betway Premiership League game will be in January after the AFCON. It will be at home against Golden Arrows on 20th January 2026. 

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