Ben-Youssef defends Chiefs’ pragmatic yet effective approach against Zesco

Chiefs beat Zesco United 1-0, in their first win against a Zambian team in CAF inter-club competitions at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola yesterday. 

Chiefs managed to score the only goal in this game inside the first two minutes, through Pule Mmodi’s strike. 

Ben-Youssef says after seeing the pitch, they decided to adopt this business-like approach in this game.

"Yesterday, I think we made our training session on the pitch and then we discovered that the pitch is difficult to play football in, so for that we had to manage how we play football in it,” Ben-Youssef said. 

“We are a technical team but with this kind of pitch it's dangerous to play football because each ball you have to make three or four controls then you can play. Also, we were more focused during the FIFA break about the strategic ball and I think that's the second game we scored with the strategic ball. 

“Even in this game we watched a lot of free kicks and corners for Zesco and we were following this instruction to make and to score with the strategic ball. We are so happy with the result and we know that the performance wasn't so good. We played different football."

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It was a third straight loss in Group D for Zesco, and they remain rooted at the bottom of the log, but Ben-Youssef avoided calling them the weakest link in this group, as they meet them next Sunday in Durban.

"Each team is different, each team has its weak points and its positive points. There is nothing in football as an easy game or a difficult game, all the games can be difficult or all the games can be easy, it depends on how you plan to play the game,” the coach added.

“If the plan of the game that you prepared or the execution of the plan is at least 90%, it’s the players who make it easy but if you find your players that day and their performance isn't good, then it becomes difficult. For us as Kaizer Chiefs, we think about our players, our performance, that's the first thing for us."

Chiefs’ chances of reaching the knockout phase were also boosted by a goalless draw played by the two Egyptian teams in the group, Al Masry and Zamalek, who are on seven points and five points respectively, with three games to go.