Patience finally paying off for Ajax’s Sasman

MUHSIN ERTUGRAL’S arrival at Ajax Cape Town has animated the career of 21-year-old Yagan Sasman. He has been in the Cape club’s PSL squad since the age of 18, but has never really got a regular lookin. Opportunity just hasn’t come his way, until the arrival of Ertugral.

Coaches are different. They have their own philosophy of football and a specific opinion of the type of player they need to implement their vision.

It has been particularly evident at Ajax, where Ertugral’s appointment as head coach has ushered in a completely new outlook and approach. Footballers who were often first on the previous coach’s team sheet are now battling for game time; and players who hardly featured a few months ago are now first in the queue. One such player who has benefited from the presence of Ertugral is left-footer Sasman.

When the Turkish coach took charge of a struggling Ajax side for his first training session in December last year, Sasman immediately caught his eye. Standing on the touchline with a few Ajax officials, watching the players go through their paces at training, Ertugral pointed at the left-back and said: “Who’s that?” Ever since, Sasman has gone from strength to strength, playing in a new left wing-back role, which the coach believes perfectly suits the player’s game.

Many would say Sasman probably hasn’t got into the team because the Cape club has the excellent Mosa Lebusa playing at left-back. But, again, coaches are different: ask Ertugral about Lebusa, and he will tell you he prefers playing Lebusa in the centre of defence.

“Muhsin is a good coach,” said Sasman. “As a team, we’ve learnt a lot from him over the last few weeks. With him believing in me, it has been going well. I’m listening to instructions and applying what I’m told at training and in games. It’s just a case of following the philosophy of his game plan and putting it into action.”

Sasman admits that it had been a frustrating time for him on the sidelines. He never gave up, though, always believing that his chance would come.

“It was (a) fluctuating period, not playing, and in and out,” he said. “But I kept working hard, stayed focused and did what I was told. Also, on the bench, when you are watching, it’s important to look and learn from others. You have to try not to make the same mistakes, so that when you come in you can make a difference. You have to apply what you have leant and move forward from there.”

Sasman, though, also realises, now he is in the team, that the hard work only starts. There are other players hoping to get in and, if he wants to stay there, he’s going to have to make sure that he performs consistently each week.

“I want to play as many games as I can,” said Sasman. “Not only that, I want us to win games, because we need the points. I’m really enjoying playing as a wing-back because it means I can help in attack and defence.”