Coach Ntseki is a breath of fresh air

We saw the core of the team that participated in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, and it was refreshing on Sunday to see them playing good combination passes, the football South Africa is known for. It was a brilliant start for Molefi Ntseki and it helps get the fans behind him.

However, we must not get carried away with the result, there are more important games to come, but I am happy for the coach. It got a bit nervous after Mali pulled a goal back, and then there was that Erick Mathoho tackle. Having said that, it was a brilliant win.

We saw a clear difference in the attacking play under Ntseki to that of Stuart Baxter. Under Baxter we played mainly on the counter-attack, and on Sunday there was a build-up from the back, and our attacks came mainly from the wings.

I don’t think the injured Lebo Mothiba was missed that much, because Bradley Grobler fulfilled the role of the top striker, he held the ball up nicely and made many good runs. He is a similar striker to Mothiba, and it just adds to the strength of the squad. To have Percy Tau in the starting line-up on the back of his exploits with Club Brugge in the Uefa Champions League, that would certainly have made us more dangerous, though without him there were still encouraging signs of quality. Just look at a fit, confident Kermit Erasmus, who came on as a substitute and had a big impact.

With Thulani Serero, who also got a start and had a good game, I think the difference now, looking from afar, is that for Vitesse Arnhem in Holland he was in defensive midfield, now he seems to be in a more attack-minded role with his team in Saudi Arabia. He has had two months at his new club and is finding his attacking game again. We are seeing glimpses of the real Serero.

With Themba Zwane coming on for Keagan Dolly before half time and scoring, the depth is there. If there is no Mothiba, we have Grobler, if there is no Dolly we have Thembinkosi Lorch and Zwane, so it is an exciting young team the coach has assembled.

We were okay at the back against Mali. I don’t want to be negative but I was not convinced by Mathoho. If there is an area Bafana can improve now, it is the defence, there are some interesting players not there who are doing well in the PSL. I don’t think the coach will tweak the team too much in the qualifiers next month, but if there are friendlies there are a few other boys putting their hands up. We must just wait and see if the coach gives them opportunities, this is a department that needs freshening up. Thulani Hlatshwayo in the centre of defence gives us stability, I think we need to find a partner for him.

Under Ntseki the players are fighting for their positions, and Dean Furman didn’t take his for granted. He showed his leadership qualities with the penalty. That is what a leader does.

Finally, to the Shell Helix Cup, which is similar to the Black Label Cup. For fans it has some sentiment, and it is never a friendly when big teams like Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs meet, but in hindsight for the coach and players, win or lose, it is just another friendly and it doesn’t count.
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