Kaizer Chiefs assistant coach Khalil Ben Youssef has addressed concerns over the team's poor defensive record this season having conceded goals by the bucket-load in both league and cup fixtures.
With 17 league goals scored this season, Chiefs are firing on all cylinders and rank among the highest goalscorers in the league this season. However, an alarming 16 goals have been conceded in the same period - the third-highest tally of goals conceded thus far.
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Speaking at the Nedbank Cup pre-match press conference on Thursday, Ben Youssef defended the club's poor defensive record.
"We don't think only about how we defend and how we attack; there is a lot of time [in between] in football.
"I agree that we concede a lot of goals, but in my answer, I have to say how many opportunities do teams have when they play against us? How many opportunities do we create when we play?
"Each game we play, we have more than five or six opportunities and one-v-ones with the goalkeeper. The other team will have only one or two opportunities.
"The problem is they are so lucky. There are some [goals] that if even you had to repeat it, they could not repeat the same action. Sometimes they shoot from 40 metres sometimes, it's close for the goalkeeper to score, but they score.
"For us, it's one one-on-one with the goalkeeper. We are unlucky," he adds.
Ben Youssef says in football, if a team creates a lot of opportunities and doesn't score, then that team is always at risk of conceding.
"The problem for us is teams get one or two chances and they score one of them, [then] they come back and start playing a low block.
"Defensively, we work a lot. We know our mistakes. There is no team in the world that doesn't have weak points.
"We know our model game; it's offensive and that leaves a lot of space behind us."
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Amakhosi's' defensive frailties will be put to the test once more this weekend when they take on Free Agents FC in the Nedbank Cup Last 32 at FNB Stadium on Sunday.
Kick-off is at 18:00.