Kaizer Chiefs coach praises midfield duo | OneFootball

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Chiefs boss on duo in midfield

Photo: Phillip Maeta/ Gallo Images

Kaizer Chiefs co-coach Khalil Ben Youssef has heaped praise on the newly formed midfield duo of Lebohang Maboe and Siphesihle Ndlovu.

The pair started four of the last six matches in the heart of midfield since the resumption of club football following the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) hiatus.

Notably, Chiefs have won all matches in which Maboe was paired with Ndlovu, with three of the victories coming in the CAF Confederation Cup.

Ben Youssef shed light on what makes the partnership effective, citing the stability and technical quality the two players offer to the team.

“I think Maboe and Ndlovu give us a lot of stability. The last few games we changed Maboe or Ndlovu just to manage them because it was a big risk of injury for them. So, we have to manage the load for them, and we know midfield is always the first pair to do lot of sprint, lot of distance,” he said.

"So, we have to manage them. When we finished before the [AFCON] break it was Maboe and George Matlou, also they gave us great stability. To be honest, we have a great squad, we have different qualities of midfielders.

"Playing with Ndlovu and Maboe gives us a lot of technical quality, lot of stability inside. Some players give us more physical quality and every game we are managing it depending on the load and the physical situation of the players, and also depending on the opponent.

Maboe and Ndlovu played together at the now-defunct SuperSport United last season, before making a switch to Chiefs this term.