With question marks on whether Kaizer Chiefs assistant coach Khalil Ben Youssef was intentional with his management of the game against Stellenbosch, a former Orlando Pirates legend has blamed Steve Barker for his tactics.
No questions were going to be raised when Chiefs announced their line-up against Stellies, as head coach Nasreddine Nabi was expected to have been involved in the planning after he left the country prior to the encounter.
However, managing a game is a test to any stand in coach and just after 13 minutes, Ben Youssef's coaching abilities were tested, after The Maroons were down to ten men following the red-card of Siviwe Nkwali.
In Chiefs' case, some coaches would make substitutions or change the game plan to capitalize on a numerical advantage while a disadvantaged team also has to react.
Either, Stellies seemed to have been the quickest to make adjustments, especially as they conceded from the resultant free-kick, after which they put pressure on Amakhosi, hitting the woodwork a few times and keeping goalkeeper Brandon Petersen busy.
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According to former Orlando Pirates midfielder Benedict 'Tso' Vilakazi though, Stellies head coach Steve Barker made the "mistake" of taking the game to Chiefs too early.
"Coach Barker, the only mistake he did was not to balance the attacking part. I knew while watching the game that Stellenbosch players will burn out, because the minute they conceded, they were on top of Chiefs, with speed, hard-working," Vilakazi said on omniaudioafrica YouTube Channel.
"Instead, Barker (should have said) for the next ten minutes, let's go full out and the next ten minutes you calm them down. You could see Chiefs decided to play a low block. The next ten minutes, let's play here, we draw them. When they come, it will create spaces.
"I think that's where he didn't get it right, because the last 20 minutes Chiefs looked like a better team, now there's Sirino there, they looked like a playing team," Vilakazi said.
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Ben Youssef appears not to be an emotional coach, as even with a man advantage, only made his first change after the half-time break, bringing on Sibongiseni Mthethwa in place of Ngcobo to absorb pressure.
Nabi's right-hand man only affected the game tactically in the last quarter of an hour to the last ten minutes, bringing on the likes of Sirino, Siphesihle Ndlovu and Mfundo Vilakazi, which swayed the game in Amakhosi's favour.
