Chiefs coach blames pitch for frustrating draw in Lubumbashi

Kaizer Chiefs coach Khalil Ben Youssef pinned his side’s struggles in Saturday’s goalless draw against AS Simba on the artificial turf at the TP Mazembe Stadium.

The Soweto giants could not find a breakthrough against their Congolese opponents in the first leg of their CAF Confederation Cup second preliminary round tie, a result that leaves the door open for an upset in the return leg.

Speaking after the match, Ben Youssef expressed his frustration with the playing conditions, suggesting the synthetic surface hampered Chiefs’ typical style of play.

“You see the situation of the game, the pitch and the competitor,” Ben Youssef said. “Really, in this kind of pitch, you can’t play.”

The coach implied that the Chiefs were forced to abandon their usual possession-based game and resort to a more basic approach, mirroring their hosts.

Ben Youssef Says Turf Forced Kaizer Chiefs Into ‘Long Ball’ Tactics

“We were only playing long balls like them because it’s difficult to manage with this kind of pitch,” he explained.

Despite the difficult conditions, Chiefs created chances, with Khanyisa Mayo hitting the upright and a late opportunity squandered by Ashley Du Preez. However, the lack of a crucial away goal means a scoring draw next Saturday at Dobsonville Stadium could see the relatively inexperienced AS Simba advance to the group stages.

Ben Youssef maintained that his team had prepared for the conditions, focusing first on defensive stability.

“The pitch we prepared from the beginning. We knew the pitch, the temperature and the situation. For that, we were ready for everything,” he stated. “I think the plan of the game was how we could manage the first 45 minutes… First, we don’t concede.”

The coach revealed the strategy was to absorb pressure and then introduce speedier players like Bafana Bafana international Mduduzi Shabalala, Ashley Du Preez, and Wandile Duba later on to exploit the space left by the opponent. Ultimately, however, the strategy failed to yield a goal.

Chiefs will now regroup for the second leg at the Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto, where they will have the advantage of playing on their preferred natural grass surface.