Tshepang Mailwane: Tyson, a 1-0 win for Bafana Bafana over Sudan in the Afcon qualifier last Sunday, although based on the profile of the opposition and the chances created, you should have put them to the sword.
Thulani Hlatshwayo: The most important thing for us was to recover… Yes, we can’t be happy with the performance overall because we could have scored more goals, but we’re happy with the three points that we’ve got.
TM: How important was it to start the 2021 Afcon qualifiers well?
TH: We need to make sure that we do qualify because we set the bar in Egypt. We became a threat after knocking out Egypt and everyone was cautious because they know we are a team that plays football. We started our qualifiers with Ghana and they were a difficult side. We don’t have the physicality that they have, but we are mobile, we have skill and move. When we start moving, these African countries can’t match South Africa.
TM: As captain, has the coach spoken to you about what he expects from you and what the future holds?
TH: We just played two important games against Ghana and Sudan. The coach will introduce his style of play slowly. The core of the team that was at Afcon is still there. Coach Stuart Baxter did build a structure and we have stuck to that structure and everything has been good. The good thing is that coach Molefi (Ntseki) was in Egypt and the level of respect is there. Yes, we did have a chat to make sure that everyone is comfortable around the team. Coach Ntseki has been there and he has seen it all. The national team is everyone’s team, it’s not like at club level.
TM: What are the benefits of having a local coach in charge of Bafana?
Bu hikaye Soccer Laduma dergisinin 20 November 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Soccer Laduma dergisinin 20 November 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.
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We have a problem
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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.
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.
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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.
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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
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.
