Questions were raised when Amakhosi chose to install Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze as co-coaches this season to take over from the departed Nasreddine Nabi.

The pair though quickly won over the fans with their performances in the league, and Amakhosi currently find themselves in fourth place on the Betway Premiership standings with 30 points from 15 games - eight behind leaders Orlando Pirates but with two games in hand.

There was obviously disappointment when the club saw their CAF Confederation Cup campaign come to an end in the group stages, with defeat to Zamelek last week, and when they exited the Nedbank Cup at the round of 32 to Stellenbosch.

But that means Chiefs are free to focus solely on their league campaign, with 15 games of the season to play, after a disappointing 10th-placed finish last term.

"Normally, when you finish 10th the previous season, you have to think about continuing to build and finish in the top five the following season," Ben Youssef said in the Sowetan.

"But I think when you're in a situation where you are close to being on top of the table, you must continue to work [hard].

"I think the performance of the team, to have 30 points from 15 games, hadn't been achieved in a long time; also, conceding only six goals in 15 games shows the good work the team has done.

"The stats show that we're doing well in the league, so why not continue to fight? We're a big team; we are Chiefs, so we have to fight and win all our last 15 games, which would see us win the title without relying on other teams."

Chiefs are next in league action at home to Stellenbosch at FNB Stadium on Tuesday night, ahead of the Soweto derby with rivals Pirates at the weekend.

"We want to win this game against Stellenbosch to continue fighting for the league," Ben Youssef added.

Pablo Franco Martin pleased with AmaZulu's progress this season