Kaizer Chiefs assistant coach Khalil Ben Youssef has responded to questions surrounding the preferred penalty taker after missing two spot kicks in a space of two weeks.
Glody Lilepo was the latest player to miss a penalty for Chiefs, which proved to be costly as they played to a 1-1 draw against AmaZulu in a highly contested Betway Premiership encounter at the FNB Stadium on Wednesday night.
Against Marumo Gallants last week, Gaston Sirino stepped up and missed a penalty that also cost the team three points as they had to settle for a 1-1 stalemate.
In the previous season, the likes of Dillan Solomons and Inacio Miguel were also bestowed with the responsibility to take penalties.
However, after Lilepo’s miss against Usuthu, Ben Youssef was not clear on who the preferred penalty taker in the team was, stating that both Lilepo and Sirino share the duties.
Penalties are a gamble
“Penalties are a 50/50 chance, and we must also give credit to the AmaZulu goalkeeper [Darren Johnson], because he saved this penalty,” he said during a press conference.
“Last season, Sirino stepped up to score the penalty in the Nedbank Cup final against Orlando Pirates, and Lilepo also scored two or three penalties last season.
“So, they are both penalty takers and they practice penalties at training as well, but if they miss them in matches, there is nothing we can do; they just must continue to work and improve. They will eventually get it right and start converting them again.”
Ben Youssef did, however, confirm that Lilepo was the player chosen to take the penalty, as Sirino was not on the pitch.
“Lilepo was picked as the first choice to take the penalty since Sirino was not on the pitch. The second option was [Mduduzi] Shabalala, then [Khanyisa] Mayo. If Lilepo was not on the pitch, the Shabalala would have taken the penalty.
“But every game we plan and have a designated penalty taker … we choose the first, second, and the third option,” he added.
After dropping points in their last three league games, Amakhosi will now turn their attention to the Carling Knockout round of 16 match against Stellenbosch FC at the Cape Town Stadium on Sunday.
