Baxter opts for youth in squad to take on Libya
Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter named Lebogang Mothiba‚ Siphesihle Ndlovu and Teboho Mokoena as young faces in his squad to face Libya in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Durban in September.
SA meet Libya at Moses Mabhida Stadium on September 8. Lille striker Mothiba has been scoring in France’s Ligue 1. Midfielders Ndlovu of Maritzburg United and Mokoena of SuperSport United impressed Baxter on duty in the Cosafa Cup in late May and June.
“The average age of this squad is 26.4‚ which knocks 18 months off the squad [from Bafana’s World Cup-qualifying defeat against Senegal in November 2017]‚” Baxter said.
Bafana started their qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win against Nigeria in Uyo in June 2017 — SA’s first competitive win against the Super Eagles — in Baxter’s first game in charge.
Libya, who are ranked 101st in the world, kicked off their campaign by thrashing the Seychelles 5-1 in Tripoli. SA are ranked 74th. Bafana players often underestimate less-renowned African opponents, but Baxter wants that mentality to change.
What will also help him in his quest to prepare well for the qualifier is to do thorough homework on Libya‚ the team he claims “is more like a club team because of a war-torn country that they are from”.
Baxter said on Tuesday of the Libyans: “They are almost always in camp together, affording their coach a lot of time to prepare the team.
“I have seen this team give Morocco a real scare — they are a well-organised team.
“Maybe not with the household names that Cameroon‚ Senegal or Ivory Coast have‚ but this is a well-aligned team‚ which will present a real challenge for us.
“I would suggest‚ with a little bit of humility‚ that it’s not been a strength of SA to take seriously these countries that on paper are not the greatest on the continent. We need to start knowing that names mean nothing anymore‚ but performances mean something,” Baxter said.
“We have got to try and make sure that we give the sort of performance that will give us the three points.”
Baxter would do well to remember that not all of Libya’s players are based at home. The North African nation’s squad boasts players from teams such as Raja Casablanca in Morocco‚ Vitoria SC B and Chavez in Portugal and Orlando City in Major Soccer League in the US. Itumeleng Khune‚ Ronwen Williams‚ Darren Keet
Ramahlwe Mphahlele‚ Motjeka Madisha‚ Siyanda Xulu‚ Thulani Hlatshwayo‚ Innocent Maela‚ Sifiso Hlanti‚ Buhle Mkhwanazi
Dean Furman‚ Siphesihle Ndlovu‚ Hlompho Kekana‚ Bongani Zungu‚ Teboho Mokoena‚ Kamohelo Mokotjo‚ Sibusiso Vilakazi
Themba Zwane‚ Keagan Dolly‚ Percy Tau‚ Lebohang Mothiba‚ Bradley Grobler