A look at ‘The Boys’: Defenders
Njabulo Ngidi takes a look at who Shakes Mashaba can pick to win these crucial Africa Cup of Nations matches.
|||Johannesburg - If you listen close enough, you can still hear the muffled screams as Bafana Bafana’s 2008 Africa Cup of Nations dreams died a crushing death in Tamale due to terrible defending.
The 3-1 loss to Tunisia ended their chances of advancing to the next round. Six years later, another 3-1 defeat thanks to poor defending could be the point where they look back in and say that’s where Bafana Bafana’s 2017 Afcon’s dreams died when the ‘mighty’ Mauritania took full advantage.
Shakes Mashaba took a gamble with Siyabonga Zulu, who had been idle for three weeks before the call-up, which didn’t work, while Thulani Hlatshwayo’s absence through injury was noticeable. It was the biggest and most crushing defeat in the mentor’s second spell in charge of the senior national team.
He argued that three of his back four played with injuries on an artificial pitch that came as a surprise to him and his technical team who didn’t bother researching it. They’re unlikely to make such mistakes in their trip to Limbe on March 26 where they will take on Cameroon in back-to-back matches, with the second leg in Durban three days later, where they must at least get four points if they’re to breathe life into their campaign where they have picked up one point in two matches.
Mashaba is also unlikely to make any gambles as a solid defence is vital. The coach has settled on his core defenders in Hlatshwayo, Anele Ngcongca, Siyabonga Nhlapo, Eric Mathoho, Rivaldo Coetzee and Thabo Matlaba. Ngcongca and “Tyson” offer flexibility as the duo is also able to play at right-back.
“As a player you have to be versatile so that you give your coach options,” Hlatshwayo said. “I know that when I play in these different positions there are different things expected from me, when I am in central defence I have to lead.
“When I play at right-back my first priority is defending. I am not like the right-backs who attack a lot like Bryce Moon for example - not to say that there is something wrong with that. It’s just that that’s how I play and even when we were both at Ajax (Cape Town) they knew I would give them this and he would give them that.”
Defensive discipline, especially for the marauding fullbacks, will be key which could make fullbacks like Matlaba and Mzikayise Mashaba a masterstroke or a liability.
They’d be a masterstroke in the sense that they could make the deadly Jean-Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting spend more time defending than attacking in the heavily offensive Cameroonian side that supplements that with two holding midfielders, Eyong Enoh and Stephane Mbia. That means the Indomitable Lions are likely to lead with their threeman attack that would punish any defensive naivety. That’s where Mashaba and Matlaba could be a liability.
Frontrunners - Eric Mathoho, Rivaldo Coetzee, Thulani Hlatshwayo, Siyabonga Nhlapo, Anele Ngcongca, Mzikayise Mashaba, Thabo Matlaba and Buhle Mkhwanazi.
Wildcards - Patrick Phungwayo, Sifiso Hlanti and Eddie Ngalo.
The Star