Kaizer Chiefs co-head coach Khalil Ben Youssef hits back at critics and asserts that 'we are not experimenting because we have been here for more than a season'

Kaizer Chiefs’ depth and overall quality were put to a stern test so far this season as they were forced to play without some key players in a number of crucial matches. 

That appeared to disrupt their rhythm and contributed to a run of mixed results. 

Some fans even felt the Soweto giants were experimenting with their line-up as matchday squads kept changing, a perception co-coach Khalil ben Youssef has moved in to address. 

However, the situation began to ease as they wrapped up the year 2025.

When the Soweto giants faced TS Galaxy last Sunday, the likes of Aden McCarthy, Glody Lilepo and Khanyisa Mayo made their return from injury.

In his absence of McCarthy, Chiefs appeared not to miss him as Inacio Miguel and Zitha Kwinika twinned well at the heart of defence while Given Msimango also returned from a long-term injury.

The Amakhosi co-coach has stressed that with a big squad, they must manage players’ workloads carefully and make decisions based on form and fitness. 

Responding to suggestions that they were still experimenting, Ben Youssef hit back at critics by saying they lack full context. 

He insisted they are not experimenting, as the technical team has been together for over a season and fully understands the squad and the selections they make.

“Aden McCarthy has been out because he got injured," said Ben Youssef as per Sowetan Live. 

"And then if a player who took his position is performing well, what should we do? We have a big squad... we have to manage the workload of the players.   

“You [referring to a journalist who asked whether they were still experimenting] are not with us at training; you can’t know why we make changes.  

“To say it’s experimenting is wrong. We are not experimenting because we have been here for more than a season, and we know all the players," added the Tunisian. 

"We know which team we have to choose... we know what we are doing, and we are not here to make experiments.”

Chiefs ended the year on a low note after going four straight matches without a victory. 

Their CAF Confederation Cup run suffered a setback as they lost 2-1 away at Al Masry and were held to a lucky 1-1 draw by Zamalek. 

The struggles continued in the Premier Soccer League with back-to-back 0-0 draws against Chippa United and TS Galaxy, raising concerns about lack of goals in those two games.

 However,Ben Youssef believes there were encouraging signs in the performance against TS Galaxy.

“I think we played one of our best games [against TS Galaxy] this season. I am so proud of the players," said Ben Youssef.  

"We dominated the game from start to finish... we created a lot of situations to score, but even when we scored, we were unlucky with the wrong decision that our goal was ruled offside. We were also denied a clear penalty.”

Chiefs now head into an AFCON break that stretches for more than 30 days. 

They return to competitive action on January 20, 2026, when they host Golden Arrows, and will be hoping their players will not be rusty after such a long layoff. 

Unlike rivals Orlando Pirates, who have nine players in the Bafana Bafana squad, and Mamelodi Sundowns, who have five selected, Chiefs have no representatives in the national team. 

That means none of their stars will be at AFCON unless Mduduzi Shabalala is drafted in by South Africa Hugo Broos as an injury replacement. 

Shabalala is among the players placed on standby for the tournament and Amakhosi will look to use this extended break to regroup and prepare for a stronger second half of the season.