Knox Mutizwa of Golden Arrows attempts at goal while marked by Daniel Cardoso and Ramahlwe Mphahlele of Kaizer Chiefs. (Photo by Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images)
Cardoso and Mphahlele are coming off a dreadful end to the season with Amakhosi, where they finished ninth in the Absa Premiership and lost the Nedbank Cup final to TS Galaxy.
Mphahlele has, in particular, struggled of late, while Cardoso has yet to play a competitive match for the senior national team.
Baxter, however, praised Cardoso’s character and Mphahlele’s experience, and also pointed to the fact that he is still trying to secure South African citizenship for two other defensive prospects, FC Zurich’s Joel Untersee and Crystal Palace’s Nikola Tavares.
“If you are balancing the squad you need different characters,” said the Bafana head coach.
READ: Baxter names provisional Bafana squad for 2019 Afcon
“You take a lot of players to a tournament and when I pick the 11 players to start the game against the Ivory Coast (Bafana’s first match at Afcon 2019), a lot of players will not be happy. You need to make sure you have good characters in the dressing room who can put their arm around people and say ‘don’t worry, keep going’. Cardoso is that sort of player, he can also play right back, he is versatile.
“If Nick and Joel are not there, you have Thami (Mkhize) and Rama (Mphahlele) only at right back. Tyson (Hlatshwayo) is also an option but I am not sure I want to break up my captain from central defence.
“Cardoso is a good professional, he is not the sexiest player in the PSL, in terms of coming up the pitch and doing things, but … give the other options I felt he balances the squad best.
“(With Mphahlele) it is a very similar answer … Joel and Nick can both play right back, but if their passports don’t arrive we have Rama who is an experience player, not fazed by anything. Then we are not sitting on the edge of ours seats hoping the passport department issues passports. And even if they come Rama could dig his heels in and say ‘I am not leaving my shirt in Johannesburg while you go to Egypt!’ He is a competitor with experience, I would rather pick him than pick a young player .. who you (the media) may find more interesting, but who will be a rabbit in the headlights.
“Maybe Reeve Frosler can also put his hand up, that is why we put him in the Cosafa Cup squad.”
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