It's a bit confusing for me
Soccer Laduma|6 November 2019
When PhakamaniMahlambi burstonto the scene as a teenager for Bidvest Wits four years ago, he was tipped for great things and many had expected that he would be playing his football abroad by now. After leaving the Clever Boys for Egyptian giants Al Ahly in 2017, things did not go so well for the speedy attacker, who returned to the Premier Soccer League after spending just one season in the North African country. He scored the goal that helped Mamelodi Sundowns win a ninth league title last season and had hoped he would carry on from where he left off when the 2019/20 got underway. Injury has kept him out in recent weeks, and just as he came back and hoping to fight his way back into the team, injury has struck once more. In this interview, the 22-year-old chats to Soccer Laduma’s Tshepang Mailwane about his career and hopes that he will one day have an opportunity to play in Europe and join the likes of Percy Tau and his U23 teammates Gift Links and Lyle Foster.
It's a bit confusing for me

Tshepang Mailwane: Phakamani, you returned from injury and were immediately called up to the national U23 team. It must have felt great! Phakamani Mahlambi:

It was a great feeling to be selected for the national team after being out for five weeks. For me, it was great.

TM: However, you unfortunately got injured in the TelkomKnockout quarterfinal tie against Chippa United over the weekend. This had led to you being withdrawn from the squad. We wish you a speedy recovery. So, how big was it for you that, even though you’d been injured, coach David Notoane had the confidence to call you up as the team prepared for the U23 Africa Cup of Nations starting this weekend?

PM: I think it starts with the whole technical team believing in me after being out for so long and knowing that we have a major tournament ahead of us and needing to prepare because we want to win the tournament. So, for me, it meant a lot that the coach called me up.

TM: How difficult were the five weeks that you were out injured, considering you finished last season on a high with a goal which won your club Mamelodi Sundowns the league title against Free State Stars?

PM: With the team that we have at Sundowns, it’s always difficult to get back into the starting line-up after getting an injury. So, yeah, I just worked harder to get back on my feet and get back to my fitness so that I could help the team to progress. I also wanted to do well for the national team so that we qualify for the Olympics. There’s a lot of people that I grew up with in this (U23) team. It’s people I grew up playing with, even in the U14 leagues, so I’m familiar with everyone. The guys have been to the U17 and U20 World Cups and it’s guys who’ve been playing well. So, it will be easy for them to gel and play to their best potential.

この蚘事は Soccer Laduma の 6 November 2019 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

この蚘事は Soccer Laduma の 6 November 2019 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

SOCCER LADUMAのその他の蚘事すべお衚瀺
We have a problem
Soccer Laduma

We have a problem

For this reason, Clinton Larsen was shown the door as head coach, but still, under new mentor Norman Mapeza, the struggle persists, although they did win two games on the trot recently.

time-read
9 分  |
4 December 2019
They have the character
Soccer Laduma

They have the character

Cut Lehlohonolo Seema’s skin andhe’ll probably bleed green andwhite – such has been the man’s loyalty to Bloemfontein Celtic. Born and bred in neighbouring Lesotho, the Mangaung outfit is a club that’s always had a pull factor on him. So much that it is they who pulled him from obscure Bantu United from the mountainous kingdom in 1998, and he would go on to represent the club until 2006 when the allure of Orlando Pirates, understandably, proved too great a pull factor. Yet even a five-year spell with the Soweto giants, which included a season-long loan stint at Mpumalanga Black Aces, would not prevent him being pulled back in the direction of Siwelele, albeit to begin a coaching journey in the junior ranks. The next step was to become an assistant, a job he performed with aplomb, before being called on to take the hotseat together with John Maduka after the departure of Steve Komphela at the tail end of 2018. Much against general expectation, the duo has done fairly well, if Celtic’s off-field troubles of the recent past are to be taken into consideration. Soccer Laduma’s Beaver Nazo sat down with Seema to discuss this, that, and the other.

time-read
8 分  |
4 December 2019
They are on another level
Soccer Laduma

They are on another level

Before signing for Mamelodi Sundowns last season,Lyle Lakay knew that he would be used as a leftback and not in his preferred left wing position, something that he surprisingly did not have a problem with. In his first season with the club last term, he played a key role as they went onto win an unprecedented ninth Absa Premiership league title. This season has been a bit of a slow one for Lakay, who has been used mostly as a substitute, but there’s still a lot of football to be played both locally and on the continent, so he has time to fight for his place in the starting line-up. In this interview, the former Cape Town City and Bloemfontein Celtic player chats to Soccer Laduma’s Tshepang Mailwane about his time at the Tshwane giants so far, their chances of winning the CAF Champions League and why he believes they can close the gap on current Kaizer Chiefs, who have been in fine form since the start of the campaign.

time-read
8 分  |
4 December 2019
Siyag bhoza
Soccer Laduma

Siyag bhoza

Middendorp holding a divided Chiefs camp together

time-read
5 分  |
4 December 2019
Lionel Messi 2019 Ballon d'Or winner
Soccer Laduma

Lionel Messi 2019 Ballon d'Or winner

Messi claims record Ballon d’Or, Ronaldo snubs gala

time-read
3 分  |
4 December 2019
Jose Is Back, Will He Last?
Soccer Laduma

Jose Is Back, Will He Last?

Jose Mourinho has re-turned with a bang! Not many would have thought Tottenham Hotspur would sack Mauricio Pochettino after the Argentine led them to the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League final, and even fewer would have thought chairman Daniel Levy would replace him with Jose Mourinho.

time-read
6 分  |
27 November 2019
It Was Challenging
Soccer Laduma

It Was Challenging

Imagine the scene
you are playing a game of your life, fighting to qualify for the Olympic Games through the lifeline of the third and fourth place play-off.

time-read
8 分  |
27 November 2019
No Disrespect To Chiefs, But

Soccer Laduma

No Disrespect To Chiefs, But


On how he masterminded victory over Chiefs

time-read
4 分  |
27 November 2019
He Is Not Personal
Soccer Laduma

He Is Not Personal

He may not be gettingregular game-timedomestically with Bidvest Wits, but attacking midfielder Gift Motupa is making a name for himself in this season’s CAF Confederation Cup. The 25-year-old player has bagged six goals in the campaign so far, inspiring the Clever Boys to the group stages of a CAF club competition for the first time in their history. It has not been the same in the domestic league though, with just one start so far and one goal. Having done so well in the Confederation Cup, he will no doubt be hoping that coach Gavin Hunt will give him more opportunities to play in the Absa Premiership as the Braamfontein-based outfit looks to challenge for the title. In this interview with Soccer Laduma’s Tshepang Mailwane, Motupa expresses his excitement about qualifying for

time-read
9 分  |
27 November 2019
That's Me Wherever I Go
Soccer Laduma

That's Me Wherever I Go

As a coach, former Kaizer Chiefs striker Wedson Nyirenda prides himself on being blessed with the mentality of a winner. So much that when talking about his past achievements in the realm of coaching, you can almost never miss the sparkle in his eye, and often this trip down memory lane will be accompanied by a smile that tells a story of contentment and achievement. He has built up a reputation, across all three countries he has worked in, of turning socalled ordinary teams into respected outfits. He did it with Baroka FC, helping them to annex the 2018 Telkom Knockout trophy much against many people’s expectations. However, the going has since gotten tougher, and the Limpopo side is (still) struggling to score goals this season. What is going on? Is Nyirenda going to jump ship and go back to his previous role as Zambia national team coach, as the rumour mill seems to suggest? Nyirenda provides the answers in this chat with Soccer Laduma’s Beaver Nazo.

time-read
7 分  |
20 November 2019