Since parting ways with Nasreddine Nabi in September, Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef have shared the reins at Kaizer Chiefs, tasked with steadying the ship through to the end of the season.
However, pressure has intensified after Chiefs suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to arch-rivals Orlando Pirates in the Soweto Derby at a packed FNB Stadium on Saturday.
It marked Chiefs’ heaviest league defeat to Pirates in the derby since 2001, when they went down by the same scoreline.
The loss compounded a difficult spell for Amakhosi, who arrived at the fixture on the back of successive defeats to Al Masry SC in the CAF Confederation Cup and Stellenbosch FC in domestic competition. Chiefs have now managed just one win in their last five outings.
READ: Cedric Kaze calls on Kaizer Chiefs to bounce back from Betway Premiership defeat to Orlando Pirates
With questions raised about whether changes are needed within the technical team, Kaze remained measured in his response.
“It’s not up to me, but I believe we are here because we are trusted by management. It’s true that we’ve had a series of poor results, but I believe there are things that have worked over the past few months,” said Kaze.
“We need to remind ourselves and our players what worked in the first half of the season and probably get back to the basics of football – how well we defended. If we don’t score, we must not concede. Things like that are the only way to move forward.”
The defeat leaves Chiefs 11 points behind Pirates, who reclaimed top spot in the Betway Premiership standings. Amakhosi remain fourth with 30 points from 17 matches, but their title hopes appear to be fading unless they can quickly rediscover consistency.